


Star Trek: A Royal Engagement

by ErRose



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Featuring Spock as Anne Hathaway and Christopher Pike as Julie Andrews, Inspired by Princess Diaries, M/M, Princess Diaries AU, Princess Diaries Royal Engagement AU, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-01-05 11:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18364967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErRose/pseuds/ErRose
Summary: When Spock finds out that he's actually royalty on a small, far away planet called Genovia, he must leave his home on Vulcan and learn how to be king. However, a viscount and his nephew, Jim, have other plans.ORThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement AU fic that literally no one asked for.This started as an AOS AU, but the universes kinda started to melt into each other as I added characters so it can pretty much be read from any universe.Updates on Tuesdays and Fridays!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a super goofy self indulgent fic that I had so much fun writing and I hope you enjoy reading it!  
> This is a totally finished work, and I'll be posting weekly.

Spock sat alone in his room, and because no one was around, he allowed himself the indulgence of reading Earth fiction. Humans wrote stories filled with adventure and emotion and everything else his Vulcan heritage deemed unacceptable and unnecessary. He could never admit that he enjoyed these books and the emotions they allowed him to feel; he could almost get a taste of love when he read them, even though he knew that love was illogical. It’s messy and despite what the books said, it didn’t always end well. Spock knew all of this, and yet-

A chime from the door shook him from his reverie. He quickly clicked off the PADD and straightened his shoulders. The door slid open and his mother entered and sat down on the foot of his bed facing him. Spock noticed the wet streaks that stained her cheeks. 

“Spock, I have something important to tell you,” her voice was thick with the free expression of emotion that seemed to be unique to her- the only person on the whole planet who freely expressed whatever she felt. Not even his sister Michael, who was also fully human, allowed herself to show emotions the way his mother did; it was simply a casualty of growing up on a planet that frowned on anything other than pure logic. 

He shifted his gaze around the room, not wanting to look her in the eye; if her tears were any indication, this conversation would be an uncomfortable one.

“I know you never met her, but my mother, your grandmother, is dead. She passed in her sleep several days ago. She was very old,”

He tilted his head and furrowed his brow, “I had been under the impression that she died long ago- before I was even born,”

His mother sighed, as if she had hoped he would have forgotten- they had only ever spoken of his grandmother once when he was very young. 

“I know, and I’m sorry that I lied to you. You see, when I married your father, she told me that if I went through with it she would cut me off, and never speak to me again. She told me that I would be dead to her if I married-” she cut herself off, “She was not overly fond of ‘aliens’, which is ironic because she is-was- a human who lived on a planet that was not earth,” 

Spock waited for her to continue. He wasn’t sure if she was expecting him to have an emotional reaction to an old woman he had never met dying hundreds of lightyears away because even if he was one to show emotion, that would be simply illogical.

“She was supposed to name an heir before she died. She did not.” She stood and began pacing, avoiding eye contact. “So now that burden falls on your shoulders. A burden you have never prepared for. One you didn’t even know loomed over you, and that I had assumed was removed before you were even born. You see Spock she was not just an old woman living on a far away planet she was… well, she was a queen,”

Spock’s eyebrows shot up his forehead, “Queen?” 

“Yes. Of a small planet called Genovia. She wanted me accustomed to Earth traditions, so when I was an adolescent she sent me to Earth to finish my schooling. Eventually, that’s where I met your father. She was less than thrilled when I announced my plan to marry him. I was quietly cut from the family. I believe the citizens think that I’m dead. However, there were several who knew the truth; they tracked me down,

“There is a man named Christopher Pike. He wants to discuss this with you. He seems to be very kind, but you don’t have to accept,”

“Accept?” Spock asked. He was still processing that most of what he knew of his mother’s past was at best an omission, and at worst a lie. 

“After all I’ve told you, is it not the _logical_ conclusion? You are the Prince. Mr. Pike is going to ask you to go back to Genovia with him to become the King. All I ask is that you consider it. With all of that logic in your head, I want you to think of what you believe is right for you,”

Spock could see in her eye however, that she hoped he would accept. For whatever reason, she wanted this for her son. 

Finally, he stood, with his back straight and his hands folded neatly behind his back, he said simply, “I will give it considerable thought,”

“Thank you, dear,” she said with sincerity “Mr. Pike expects an answer in three days,” with that, she turned and left, he dress flowing behind her. 

When she was gone and the door closed, Spock sat down again, his hands on his thighs and back straight as he tried to absorb everything that had just happened. Everything inside of him churned up from his stomach and threatened to tear him apart from the inside out. He had no idea how long he sat there, trying to arrange his thoughts into a less overwhelming pattern. 

Once again, his door slid open and Michael let herself in and perched on the edge of his desk. 

“Amanda told me everything. How are you handling it?” She glanced to where his hands were digging craters into his thighs. He flexed his hands and let go, but almost immediately they curled into fists in his lap.

“Her death in no way upsets me. I believed her dead for my whole life. Nothing has changed,”

“Nothing has changed? Spock, you just found out that you’re a prince. An actual prince. And you say nothing has changed?”

“I am allowed to turn down the position,” 

“Yes,” she shrugged, “but you shouldn’t,”

He inclined his head in an unspoken question.

“You’re smart and a good leader. I think you could do a lot of good. There is a lot of information about Genovia in the Starfleet library base. For example, when they first colonized it, they brought a pear tree with them. They thrived on Genovia, but they went extinct on earth, so they are the only planet with real earth pears,” 

“Are you suggesting I accept a position as a ruler, because they have a type of fruit I have never even tasted?”

“I just thought it was interesting. But I do think that if you do some research, you’ll see. You could be great,” She paused to let him think that over for a moment before adding, “Plus it will take your annoying self lightyears away from me,” she gave his shoulder a good natured shove and left him alone again. 

For the next few days, he dove into researching the planet and its history. He read about the royal lineage and realized that they were all his ancestors for whom he had never even spared a thought. Sometimes, Michael joined him alternating between being helpful and annoying. On the final day before Pike was to arrive, they were sitting together, both deep in their readings. Spock looked up at her and before he could change his mind he blurted out her name. She looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

“If I were to accept this role, would you consider coming with me?”

“Feeling sentimental, Spock?” she teased.

“It would be quite logical. Every dignitary has had someone who protects them. Usually someone they know well and trust implicitly. And you are the only person I trust that much. And frankly, you are terrifying with a phaser,”

“Sounds pretty sentimental to me.” She raised her eyebrows at him, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “I’ll think it over, do some of my own research,”

Spock nodded and they went back to their reading. 

Finally, after three long days of consideration and research, Spock had come to a decision, and was preparing to contact Christopher Pike when Michael walked into the room, eyes wide and head tilted. Long ago they had nearly perfected a system of silent communication. This loosely translated to “be prepared” and usually had something to do with one of their parents. 

His mother entered right behind Michael, and after her, was someone he did not recognize. A tall, handsome man with an air of authority. He lifted his hand in a Ta’al, which Spock returned mechanically. 

“Spock, this is Mr. Pike. He is the royal advisor from Genovia,”

“Spock, you are under no obligations here. You can abdicate very easily. Most of the planet still thinks that you’re an urban legend. If you are to accept, there will be some formalities to be met before you can be coronated- there's the inspection of the guard, you’ll have to light a torch with an arrow. I know it’s all a little… illogical, but some traditions just don’t die. But we’ll train you for everything so you will be prepared for all of it. I would be happy to answer any questions to help you make this decision easier- one way or the other,” 

“That will not be necessary,” 

“I’m sorry?” 

“There is no need for apologizing. I will not need your help making this decision- it is already made. I have answered all of my own questions in the past three days,”

Mr. Pike waited a moment before gently prompting, “And what is your answer,”

“I will go with you to Genovia to be your king,” 

“On one condition,” Michael chimed in, moving so she stood by Spock’s side, “I go with you too- as his bodyguard,”

“Well that sure made my job easier. Now I don’t even have to find a new bodyguard,” He said with a smile and a soft laugh, “If the two of you just pack some essentials, we can leave in the morning, then we’ll have someone come get the rest of your things in a day or so,”

Amanda spent the next few hours flitting back and forth between the two bedrooms as Spock and Michael both packed, hovering and making sure they remembered everything important. The next morning, Sarek bid them both a formal goodbye, but Amanda could barely control herself as she tried to keep the physical contact at a minimum. 

The three of them beamed on board the Genovian starship, the _USS Clarisse_ , and as they left orbit, Spock couldn’t help but stare at Vulcan as it shrunk until it was just another point of light in the sky in the black expanse of space; he couldn’t help but feel a shiver of excitement. He thought of the characters in the earth books he had put onto his PADD before departing; their adventures often started in a similar fashion- leaving the only home they knew in search of something bigger, and maybe even finding love along the way. 

“What was it that made you decide to come with me, Spock?” Mr. Pike asked, pulling him from his daydream.

Spock gathered his thoughts, and Mr. Pike waited patiently. “Abdicating could have had any number of ill effects on your planet, Mr. Pike. I will not be a flawless ruler, however, I am well trained in logic. My father is an ambassador so I have been able to observe much of our own politics from the inside. Hopefully that will help me when it comes to learning how to rule Genovia,”

“Please, you can call me Chris. I’m excited to work with you, Spock. I’m sure you’ll do great, and I’ll be with you every step of the way. We’ll just go one day at a time,”

“Yes, that is how linear time tends to work,”

Michael snorted out a laugh from a nearby couch. A smile spread across Chris’s face as it dawned on him that it was a joke. 

He laughed again as he repeated “Yeah, I’m very excited to work with you, Spock.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock could not have prepared himself for the sheer number of people at the ball. It seemed as though people from every planet in the quadrant were there. He took a deep breath, looked to Michael who nodded with encouragement, and pulled on the hem of his gloves to make sure they were secure before stepping out to be formally introduced in front of everyone as the Prince of Genovia. Then he was thrust into the mass of people who clamored to introduce themselves to him.

When they arrived at Genovia, they beamed directly into the castle in the dead of night. 

“I didn’t want you to get overwhelmed, so no one knows that you’re here yet. I wanted to give you a few days to get used to being here before throwing you to the wolves,”

Spock tried not to look alarmed- he knew that Chris was not likely to actually throw him into a den of beasts, but the meaning behind human colloquialisms sometimes evaded him for a few moments before he managed to piece together the meaning. 

“That is appreciated.” It was more than appreciated, but even though he was now on Genovia, Spock was still Vulcan, still unwilling to show too much emotion. 

“In a few days, we’ll tell the people that you’re here and willing to take on the crown.” He paused, hesitant, as if he knew Spock wouldn’t like what was coming next. “Then there will be a party; you will be expected to dance with dignitaries and royalty. I’m sorry, Spock, I know this will be uncomfortable for you, but there isn’t really a way around it. A few centuries ago, a war was nearly started because our princess didn’t want to dance with a baron,”

“I am familiar with that part of your history. I will do what is expected of me,”

Chris smiled at him again. Spock couldn’t help but feel comfort from his smile. He put so much warmth and kindness into the expression that Spock almost felt overwhelmed by the amount of emotion that was behind that simple grin. 

“I don’t think I said it when we were on Vulcan, but thank you, Spock. What you’re doing is very selfless, and I truly believe you’re going to be a great ruler,”

Spock simply nodded, and Pike didn’t seem to need a verbal response because he immediately began showing them to their rooms.

As promised, Chris gave them a few days to settle in and become accustomed to living in the castle. They were given a tour and introduced to much of the palace staff, including Spock’s personal assistants, who introduced themselves simply as Chekov and Sulu. “Assigned friends” Chekov had called them before Sulu jabbed an elbow into his ribs.   
After a few days however, it couldn’t be put off any longer. Chris made the announcement that Spock was on Genovia, and ready to become it’s King. And of course, he announced the introduction ball. 

Spock dressed in his formal black Vulcan robes. When he explained to Chris that Vulcans hands were more sensitive than humans, and they often kissed with their hands, Chris provided him with pair of gloves and another apology that he couldn’t change this tradition without potentially starting a war. 

 

Spock could not have prepared himself for the sheer number of people at the ball. It seemed as though people from every planet in the quadrant were there. He took a deep breath, looked to Michael who nodded with encouragement, and pulled on the hem of his gloves to make sure they were secure before stepping out to be formally introduced in front of everyone as the Prince of Genovia. Then he was thrust into the mass of people who clamored to introduce themselves to him. Before he knew it, he was being passed around non-stop. Every available dignitary wanted a chance to dance with the young prince, a chance to win him over in hopes of gaining favor with the future King. 

The first was an Andorian. Like Spock, she spoke many languages, however they couldn’t seem to find a language they both spoke before someone else cut in. His idea of dancing was essentially just roughly pushing Spock across the dance floor to a rhythm that only existed in his own head. He managed to escape the dance floor for a few moments and after checking that no one was watching, picked up a small piece of chocolate they had set out for the guests-perhaps mild intoxication would not only help the night pass in a more enjoyable fashion, it could also help him forget the humiliating affair he was being put through by being forced to dance (which was very un-Vulcan like behavior) and listen to the drivel that spilled from every mouth in the room hoping to win him over.

“I saw that,” He recognized the accent before he turned to see Ambassador Montgomery Scott with his usual friendly grin. Spock had met Ambassador Scott several times through his father’s work- they had even hosted Mr. Scott at their home on more than one occasion. He was a very friendly man and always kind to Spock, who tended to keep to the outskirts of Vulcan gatherings. He often offered Spock a drink from his own personal flask, and when Spock asked why he brought his own when alcohol was always offered, he claimed that they never had real, genuine Scotch. When he discovered that it was chocolate, not alcohol, that affected Spock’s system, he began bringing small pieces of that to offer whenever Spock looked like he needed it. And Spock was sure that looked like he needed it right now. 

“Ah, Mr. Scott. I was just-” He faltered. He had not expected to be caught.

“No need for excuses, Sir. This type of affair could lead even your Surak himself to drink- or eat, as the case may be,” 

“It is rather tiring, isn’t it?”

“You can certainly say that again,” he said with a chuckle, “I had no idea _you_ were the secret prince everyone has been buzzing about,”

“It came as a surprise to me as well. My sister Michael is also here with me.” Spock took in the look of surprise and confusion on the ambassador’s face 

“I cannot wait to hear that story, but it looks as though I’m needed elsewhere. And I’m sure you’re needed back on the dance floor,” He pointed out a very young looking princess who seemed to either be lost, or looking for a dance partner and was heading towards Spock. He took a step backwards, deciding he would find somewhere else to hide for a few moments. Just long enough to collect himself and have a few minutes of peace, but not long enough to arouse any suspicion. He turned and crashed into someone he didn’t recognize-a human- and stepped on his foot. 

“I apologize. Are you okay?” He asked trying to keep his cheeks from flushing green.

“No, it was my fault, Your Highness. And anyway, I think I’ll survive,” His grin was sincere and Spock’s heart seemed to pound a little too hard when he looked into those soft eyes. 

Unfortunately, the encounter attracted attention back to Spock and he was surrounded again by those who had been waiting for chance to dance with him. The blonde human grinned almost apologetically and was gone from view. During one particularly violent version of a waltz with a tellarite duke, Spock saw him again over his dance partner’s shoulder. They made eye contact, and the human looked as though he was laughing to himself, before changing course and making his way onto the dance floor. 

He touched the Duke’s shoulder, “May I cut in?”

The duke looked very put off, but graciously allowed the dance to come to an end. 

“I hope I wasn’t interrupting that dance too soon. He seemed to be enjoying it very much,” Spock wasn’t sure, but he believed him to be teasing.

“Certainly not. I fear if we had been allowed to finish that dance, my spine would have become misaligned,” 

“Well then I’m glad I could help, Your Highness,”

“I prefer to be called Spock. And your name?”

“Jim. Just Jim,”

“Jim, I must apologize again for stepping on your foot. I am glad to see that any injury I may have caused did not affect your dancing,” 

“You can step on my foot anytime,”

“I would not intentionally hurt you if that is what you are implying,”

Jim laughed heartily, even though it was not a joke. 

The young princess, who was half Jim’s height, was back. She had taken the short pause in music to mean that Spock’s dance with Jim had ended. Spock wished to continue the dance with Jim, however he was expected to dance with anyone who asked, and Jim was already stepping aside, trying not to chuckle, to allow the princess to dance. He bowed to Spock and disappeared back into the crowd

As the night passed, Spock found himself scanning the room in search of those piercing eyes hoping for another chance to dance with the handsome young man who had swept him around the ballroom so gracefully. Slowly, the dignitaries and royals began leaving the party. Many were sure to find Spock to say goodbye before they left (others who felt that they had been snubbed in some way made no attempt at diplomacy). Finally, when just about everyone was gone, Spock was able to take a moment to himself. He sat at a table at the far end of the room and tried to repair his mental shields, which had taken a beating from being passed around and touched all night. When he heard approaching footsteps, he opened his eyes to see Chris.

“You did very well tonight, Spock. I know that was hard for you.” Then he lowered his voice, “If you want to get out of here I can cover for you the rest of the night,” 

Spock thanked him with sincerity and got up to leave. He paused on his way out to say a quick goodbye to Mr. Scott. Though Spock swore there wasn’t much of a story, Mr. Scott insisted that he promise to tell him another day how he came to be the Prince of Genovia. He promised he would, and they went their separate ways. 

Finally back in his own room, Spock exhaled. He meditated, and yet, those piercing eyes kept making their way back into his thoughts. The name Jim bounced around his mind until it was all encompassing. He tried to force the thoughts out, but they wouldn’t budge. Eventually, having given up trying to _completely_ clear his mind, he crawled into bed, but thoughts of Jim followed him even into his dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock learns that he must be married in order to become king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how royalty works so I just... made up some laws based on how it works in The Princess Diaries. Also had to rework some because of the heteronormative nature of King and Queen so it makes sense, but like... barely.

The morning after the ball, Janice Rand, Chris’s personal assistant (and the only reason he hadn’t yet gone insane) told Spock that Chris was meeting with the parliament, and until he finished the day was his to do as he pleased. Spock was going to check out the library when he bumped into Michael in the hallway. She silently pulled him into a small closet, and peeled a false panel off the wall, revealing an alcove. When he just stared at her in confusion, she shoved him into the small space and followed him in. With her finger on her lips she pointed to her ear, then to a vent where some light was coming through. They both put their ears to the vent to listen.

“Harry, that law is outdated and we haven’t enforced it in over a hundred years,” Chris sounded exhausted.

“Yes, but it is still a law. We can’t simply ignore a law because it is inconvenient for you. Before being coronated, the ruler _must_ be married. There _must_ be two rulers to balance each other at the beginning of the reign,”

“Mudd, he just got here, and you expect him to get married? He’s half Vulcan for god’s sake,”

“Well, if your Spock is unwilling, my nephew would be more than willing to take on the throne and marry the ambassador of Ditrol V,”

“We’re all well aware of your nephew’s reputation. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be our king,”

“Unless Spock gets married, and soon, we don’t have a choice, now do we?”

“Just,” Chris hesitated, Spock could feel his defeat. “Just give him a year. Let him get used to this life, this planet.”

“Unacceptable. We cannot go a full year without a ruler, and what would stop him from not following through on his end once the year is up?”

“Spock wouldn’t do that,”

“We don’t know that; we don’t know him. As you said, he’s only just arrived,” A third voice had joined the argument.

“I hate to admit it, Chris, but Harry is right,” whoever this voice belonged to sounded reluctant to relent to Mudd, “But we can give you a little time. Can we agree on three months?”

There was yelling from all corners of the room. When it finally died down, they had decided that Spock would have one month to get married. 

Spock’s head was spinning as the members of Parliament began to file out of the room. He and Michael stood in silence as they digested what had just been decided.  
______________________

Not long after, Pike had called him into the conference room to discuss what they had already heard. 

“What do you mean ‘We know’?” He had directed the question at Michael after she interrupted his long winded explanation. 

“I take my position as head of security very seriously. I studied all of the building plans for the entire palace. I knew that through the vent in the closet, we would be able to listen to the hearings that- for some reason- Spock was not called to,”

“I agree that he should have been allowed to be there, and I’m not reprimanding you for your… creative use of the building plans,” He smiled with something akin to pride, “But know that I wasn’t going to keep any of that from either of you. The only reason I didn’t tell you about it beforehand was because the session was called last minute- probably because Mudd and those who agree with him knew that I would have fought to have you there as well,” 

Spock nodded his appreciation. He knew from the start that Chris was not a selfish man. He wanted what was best for his planet and he believed that Spock was the best choice. 

“How can they possibly expect this of him?” Michael, it seemed, was still not entirely convinced of his actions. 

“Don’t Vulcans arrange marriages as well?” 

“Occasionally,” Her voice was short. She wasn’t expecting him to know about that, “But it is done when they are children. They have a lifetime to prepare, not thirty days,”

“I’m truly sorry, Spock. If I had known they would dig up this archaic law, I swear I would have told you before I even came to Vulcan. Remember you don’t have to do this. We can get you back to Vulcan and-”

“Do you wish for me to leave?” his eyebrows furrowed, the question staying on his face even after if had left his mouth.

“Spock I- I want you to do what is best for you. I’m not going to ask you to marry a stranger for a planet you’ve never been to,”

“I would like to stay. I made a promise. I intend to keep it,”  
______________________

“Jamie, my boy, you are a born ruler. You should be the one to take this throne. You were born here, you grew up here. That they are trying to take this right away from you is simply unacceptable,” Mudd was pacing the room in the large house just outside of the city. He had taken Jim in when he was only a boy and while Jim was not of the actual royal bloodline, he was still Mudd’s nephew, putting him next in line for the throne. Well, it should put him next in line. If it wasn’t for the half-blood who should never have been recognized in the first place. His mother had been all but exiled, yet her son was still allowed to have the throne. It was absurd. 

“I agree, but how exactly are we going to convince Spock to step down?” He threw a dart at the target that hung on the wall, just barely missing the bullseye. 

Mudd plucked another out of Jim’s hand and stared at it thoughtfully for a moment. “You know, I can make this hit dead center every single time,” 

Jim motioned for him to demonstrate. Mudd stared at the target, held his arm up, and walked it across the room, stabbing the dart into the target’s center by hand. 

“I believe that’s called cheating, Uncle,”

“Now you’ve got it. All you have to do is keep him from marrying. Woo him, show him what it’s like to be human. Then the thirty day limit will run out, and you will be on the throne,” He grinned and clapped him on the back before leaving the room. 

Jim contemplated the dart in target for a long moment. Where was the line between right and wrong. What if Spock _was_ bad for Genovia? He didn’t know the first thing about this tiny planet that Jim had called home for his whole life. How could he possibly understand the first thing about this planet when he didn’t even know of its existence until a few weeks ago. He was only half human- he was green for god’s sake. Not that that made him any less beautiful. 

When he first was introduced at the ball, Jim had been left a little bit breathless at the sight of his green tinged skin and pointed ears. He had done enough research on Vulcans to know why Spock had worn the gloves to dance, but halfway through their encounter, he found himself wanting to peel them off and feel the warm palm against his own. He wanted to bring those slender fingers to his lips in a gesture that would appear chivalrous to everyone else, but he was sure it would bring a blush to Spock’s cheeks. 

But his uncle had a plan. A plan that would make him King. That was what was best for Genovia. _Right?_

A gentle touch on his shoulder made Jim jump. His live-in doctor, Doctor McCoy, who he affectionately called ‘Bones’, had entered the room unnoticed. 

“You gonna throw that or just keep staring at it?” 

Jim chuckled and handed him the dart. 

“Something you want to talk about?”

“I thought you were my physician, not my psychiatrist,” He teased, while trying to avoid the question.

“I’m also your friend, Jim. If you don’t want to talk about it, I’m certainly not going to make you,”

“Good, because I don’t want to,”

“Alright,” He threw the dart and it landed in the outer rim of the target.

“It’s just, what do you think of Uncle Harry’s plan? And before you try to tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about, I saw you lurking. I know you heard,”

Bones sighed. “What do you think about it?”

“I don’t know. I think that it’s weird to bring in a stranger to be the new king. I don’t like cheating, but what if it’s the only way you know to protect something you love?”

“I don’t know him from a hole in the wall, but I do know you, Jim. I know that you’re strong willed and are always looking for the best in everyone and everything. You have to figure out what you think is right. Not what everyone else is telling you you need to do,”

“Your advice isn’t very helpful,”

“Yeah, well that way, when it all goes to shit, you can’t blame me for it,”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new guest moves into the palace, and Spock chooses a suitor.

“They are going to be staying at the palace?” The rhetorical question was out of Spock’s mouth before he could stop it. He was trying to keep his face and voice neutral, but he couldn’t understand why Chris would do this. “I fail to see the logic in inviting into the palace the very man who is so desperate to force me out,” Chris had gathered them all in the grand foyer to welcome the new guest. 

“Only the nephew, Lord Kirk, will be staying with us- not Mudd himself,” Chris sounded mildly exasperated.

“I offered to hang them both from their toes in the courtyard,” Michael muttered under her breath, knowing that only Spock would have been able to hear her; in return, Spock allowed a glint to pass over his eyes that only she would recognize as amusement. 

“I want them under our noses. I want to know what they’re up to as often as possible. If he stays with us, there will be few moves he can make without us knowing about it,”

“I do not like the idea of him being here. He is arrogant and self-serving and potentially dangerous,” 

“Have you actually met him?” Chris asked.

“No,” Spock admitted, “But it is the only logical interpretation based on his actions since I have arrived. I cannot see another reasonable explanation for him to only stake his claim on the throne after I have come to Genovia,”

“Well, I haven’t met him either, and believe me, I don’t trust him, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he _isn’t_ a monster,” half a grin crossed his features. 

Michael rolled her eyes and Spock couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. 

The door slid open and Harry Mudd sauntered through. He was a large man with a handlebar mustache and hair that was so slicked back it appeared greasy. His clothes were so ostentatious that they hurt Spock’s eyes to look at- Spock had only ever heard his voice and yet he was unsurprised by his appearance. His nephew walked behind him, obscured from view. When he stepped out from behind his uncle, Spock felt a curious tightening of his heart in his side. Jim, the blonde with piercing eyes he had danced with at the ball- only now he was Lord Kirk, the very man who wanted to dethrone Spock and push him out of Genovia. Spock looked at the ground, at the wall, at Michael- anywhere but Jim- _Sir James_. 

Formalities were followed, Spock bowed when necessary and spoke the proper pleasantries, but still refused eye contact until he felt Chris’s elbow in his ribs. He took a deep steadying breath in and looked up, still avoiding his eyes, but settling his gaze on his eyebrows instead. 

“ _Lord_ James,” He tried to inject venom into the title, but there was the slightest wobble in his voice. “It is unexpected that we meet again in this manner. If you all will excuse me,” He turned on his heel to leave, and walked a little too close to Sir James. If he stepped on his foot on the way out, it was surely an accident. Without stopping, he heard Michael snickering, and Chris apologizing. He almost wanted to turn to see the pained look on Jim’s face, but he couldn’t risk looking into those eyes again. 

 

Chris found him in the library a short while later, where he had already surrounded himself with books of all kinds, desperate to focus on something else- anything else. He cleared a spot next to Spock and sat with him.

“Care to tell me what happened back there?” Spock had expected him to yell, to be angry with him- this gentle question was startling. 

“I apologize if I made things more difficult for you. However I have met Ji- Sir James before. At the ball. We danced. He was-” Spock tried to explain his feelings without betraying the hurt he was feeling after learning that the same man whose company he had sought out at the ball was only there to gauge the competition. “Charming. It was enjoyable. However, he made no reference to why he was in attendance,” 

“I get it,” his voice was still soft and the kindness and compassion in his eyes threatened to overwhelm Spock. “Why don’t you head back to your room? Get some rest. We’ll get this sorted, I promise.” Spock looked up at him, sincerity was etched into every inch of his face. When he looked at Chris, against all better logic, he believed him. 

 

He arrived at his quarters, ready to finally have a moment of peace- a moment to not have to think of _Sir_ James, or his upcoming wedding to an undetermined suitor, or the coronation that he was in no way prepared for. 

When he stepped through the threshold, his shoulders tensed when he saw a silhouette sitting at his desk. The figure spun in the chair and he relaxed immediately. 

_T’Pring_ , crossed the room and greeted her with a ta’al.

“You are here” He stated, hiding his mild confusion.

“I am,” Her eyes gave away her amusement at having been able to surprise him while she returned the greeting. She explained that Michael had suggested that it would be beneficial to Spock to have another familiar face to make him feel more comfortable. 

He was immensely pleased that she had come. They had been friends since youth- the only person he considered to actually be a friend rather than an acquaintance. She was one of the few people who he had confided in and she never backed away or mocked him for his human heritage. 

“I am getting married,” Spock blurted out.

For a fraction of a second, her face showed genuine surprise, before she masked it with her usual Vulcan neutral expression. “To whom?”

“I don’t know,”

He sat on the edge of his bed and told her everything, including the details about Sir James. 

“That sounds…” she hesitated, “illogical,”

“It is highly illogical, and nearly barbaric. Most cultures in the federation have grown out of the phase of forcing their leaders to be married before ruling- as if signing a contract would make one more capable of successfully running a planet,”

Likely unaware of the poor timing, Michael’s voice came through the comm panel "Pike wants to see you in the conference room to look at files for suitors. Bring T’Pring,"

Spock sighed and looked to T’Pring. They rose together and Spock led the way.

 

As they stepped into the room, Janice handed them both a PADD and they joined Chris and Michael at the table in the center of the room. On the PADD was a list of names, with a small photo next to each one. When he pressed on a name, a short biography and a list of attributes filled the screen. There was an option to send the profile to the large screen in the center of the table for everyone to see. He scrolled through some of names and faces-scanning their eyes, an absurd hope to see those piercing blue eyes on the list.

“Spock, I know this isn’t exactly pleasant, but if we’re to go through with this, this will be the easiest way to help you choose a... suitor,” Spock nodded and they began.

There was a few moments of silence while they all scanned the list. A face flashed onto the center screen, though Spock was not sure whose PADD it had come from. A humanoid with a pale blue tint to their skin. The accompanying name was Tox Ahu, a general. Before Spock could read the rest of the information, the picture was gone from the screen.

“No way. I know Tox. They’re a compulsive gambler. Not appropriate,”

The next face the flashed across the screen could only have been sent from Michael’s PADD, the young princess from the ball. It turned out that her name was Izel. Spock’s eyes were ice when he looked to Michael, who suppressed a grin. Chris must have caught the teasing interaction, because the photo was gone without a word. 

T’Pring suggested Prince Mavu from the planet Notow. There was a short silence while everyone looked over the profile and considered the possibility before Michael said, “He’s been arrested five times for various assault charges.” And the picture disappeared again. 

After several more suitors were suggested and quickly rejected, Chis set down his PADD and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“This isn’t working. We need someone smart enough to keep up with Spock, but kind and compassionate, because this is going to be a tough arrangement,”

After a moment’s hesitation, Spock sent a profile to the screen; the only one he had sent so far. 

“She is a countess from Earth. She speaks a multitude of languages, and is very charitable- her work with displaced aliens is especially relevant to my situation,”

“Countess Nyota Uhura. I don’t know why I didn’t think of her to begin with,” 

“She is aesthetically pleasing as well,” T’Pring chimed in. 

“I’ll contact her as soon as you give me the word,” Chris beamed.

“I will not need a period to think it over. She appears to be the only acceptable option,”

“Save the romance for when she gets here, Spock” he teased.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyota Uhura arrives on Genovia.

Countess Nyota Uhura arrived a few days later, and she and Spock immediately began spending time together in order to get to know one another. As it turned out, she was easy to get along with and very patient with Spock’s resistance to outward emotion. She had clearly done her research about Vulcan traditions as she attempted a messy ta’al and was very careful about not touching his hands. When she asked him about Vulcan music, he gave a very technical description of the music, before adding, as if in after thought that he played the Vulcan lute quite well- well enough to have competed in an all Vulcan music competition, coming in second place after his own father. 

“But I’m sure you let him win,” she teased.

“Most assuredly not; he was the more skilled of us. I was quite young,” 

Nyota threw her head back and laughed. T’Pring from her position behind them tensed as if on instinct, ready to defend him as she had through their childhood from bullies who rejected him because of his human heritage.

With a gentle touch to her shoulder, Sulu held her back, “She’s just teasing, let them bond.” And when she looked hard, she could almost see Spock’s eyes alight with mild amusement.

When Nyota challenged him to a game of chess a few days later, he readily agreed. They made their way to the library with Chekov, Sulu, and T’Pring in tow to continue their chaperoning (or was it closer to spying?). They set up the board and Spock allowed Nyota to take white. From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blonde hair flopping into an armchair. He could almost feel the eyes boring into him, but he was determined to ignore them- no good would come of indulging Sir James. Though he was distracted, he still managed to eke out a checkmate, but only barely. 

They began to reset the board for another game, but Nyota stopped and folded her hands on the table in front of her. 

“Spock, every marriage in my family has been arranged for over two hundred years. I know this might be hard for you, but it’s practically in my blood. I suggest that we officially get engaged. I can help you through the publicity and formalities of the engagement and the wedding itself, and afterward, the ruling. I have been trained for my whole life to be a diplomat, and I think we will work well together and will make an effective pair,”

Spock heard a snort of derision from where Jim sat, but still refused to acknowledge his presence. 

“That is quite logical,” 

From behind them, Sir James snapped his book shut and huffed out a sigh before leaving the library. 

 

Jim left the library in a haze of irritation for which he couldn’t even pinpoint an actual reason. Of course he was annoyed that Spock’s engagement was a roadblock, but it was one they had expected, one they planned for. As he stormed the halls back to his room he bumped into Pike’s assistant, Janice. 

“Oh, Jim! Your uncle and your doctor are in your room. They said your doctor needed to have a look at you because of your condition,” 

_My condition?_ he wondered but instead simply said “Thank you, Janice," with a warm grin, and she returned with a genuine smile. Jim liked her. She was kind to him when everyone else suspected he was up to no good. He _was_ up to no good, but regardless, he hoped that she would still be part of the palace staff if he managed to go through with the plan- _when_ he went through with the plan, he reminded himself. 

When he entered his quarters, Harry didn’t even try to hide that he had been nosing through Jim’s personal belongings. Bones was leaning on the far wall arms folded across his chest, eyeing Harry with a sour distaste. 

“I was unaware that I had a ‘condition’ that requires regular check ups,” 

“You’re allergic to just about everything, Jim boy, your whole life is a condition,” he stated as he tossed a glass pawn from Jim’s 3D chess board back into its box. Jim winced as it clinked against the other pieces and prayed none of them broke. 

“What did you actually come here for?”

“How is it going? Have you delayed the marriage yet?”

“It turns out, you were wrong. Spock has managed to get engaged in just a week. I just witnessed the most logical proposal probably since the great Surak himself,” he tried to feign nonchalance, not knowing what to expect from his uncle. 

“Well how exactly have you tried to stop it from happening?” 

“I’ve been working on it,” 

Harry looked to him, clearly seeing through the lie. “He can’t possibly be happy with this arrangement,” 

“He’s a vulcan, is he even capable of happiness?” 

“Now now, boy, he is half human too. You say the proposal was logical? How so?”

“It was more like business proposal made over a chess board rather than a marriage proposal,”

“Well then… You’re charming and handsome. You need to woo him. Show him what romance truly is. Show him passion and fire. Just make him question his relationship with Miss. Uhura long enough for the month to pass and Genovia is ours- I mean yours,”

Jim hesitated. There was a feeling in his gut that he couldn’t quite place, but knew that he didn’t like. After a moment he nearly whispered, “You’re sure this is what my father wanted? The way mom talked about him, I just don’t see him thinking like this”

“Most definitely. You were a baby when he died. Your mother told you rose tinted stories. But he always told me that you deserved to be on the throne. He even made me promise that if anything happened to him that I was to help you get there in his stead. So here I am, fulfilling your dear father’s final wish. But by all means, if you want to back out- ignore what your father wanted for you- well then we can just go home. Your father will never know the difference anyway,”

Even though Jim had never known his father, that hit him like a punch to the chest. 

“No. I want to. I’ll do it,” 

“Atta boy, Jimmy. Keep me updated,” He clapped Jim on the shoulder and left the room. Jim started when Bones finally moved- he had nearly forgotten his presence. 

After a beat Bones spoke, “You sure you’re comfortable with this. I’m not trying to talk you out of it, but don’t let him talk you into anything either,”

“Yeah, of course. It’s what my father wanted. It’s what’s good for Genovia.” He tried to give it as much honesty as he could, but he could hear how flat it sounded as it left his mouth. 

“But is it good for Jim Kirk? Sometimes you gotta think about what you want and what’s best for you,” He paused. “Just think about it okay?”

Jim was left alone in the room again. He knew that he needed to do this. It was important. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. He picked up the chess piece that Harry had so carelessly thrown in with the others. When he held the pawn up to the light, he noticed a small crack ran through the center. It would hold up for now, but with use, it was sure to crack and eventually break.

 

Spock found himself once again in the the library, surrounded by the tomes of all colors and bindings and languages. They were, of course, illogical- he could access any of them and more on a single PADD, but they created a calm atmosphere, and as a rule, there was much less talking here in the library than in any other room in the palace. He saw Janice enter the library and felt his shoulders slump a fraction of an inch. It was likely that she wanted to go over wedding details that he simply didn’t care about. He was tired of the whole ordeal and just wanted to be done. There was so much flaunting that didn’t make sense, if they could just get married and it would all be over with. Of course there was the coronation as well, and all of the pageantry that went along with it, but at the very least that didn’t require him to make decisions such as what type of cheese would be served. 

Thankfully, when she made her way to him, she just leaned over and whispered “Countess Nyota’s shuttle just arrived at the starbase. She said she would call when she got to earth, she won’t be gone long,”

He nodded his acknowledgement before remembering to add a verbal “Thank you,”

When she had left, Spock brought up Nyota’s profile on a PADD again. They had spent a lot of time together since she arrived 6.4 days ago, but he still felt like he barely knew her. As he scanned the profile yet again(he had tried not to keep track of how many times he read it). He heard a voice from just behind him. 

“Having second thoughts about the wedding?”

“On the contrary. I was admiring my fiance and all that she has accomplished,” he lied as he quickly closed the PADD and stood. “If you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to,”

As he began to leave the library, Jim followed suit. He tried not to notice as Jim appeared to follow him through the halls as well. After several minutes, as they passed the kitchen, Spock stopped short and turned on his heel. “Is there something I can help you with?” he asked tersely. 

“No, no. You’re the one who stomped on me with your big feet,”

“You are the one who asked to dance with me and my big feet,”

“Fine- we danced. Call Starfleet! Have them start the trial immediately,” Spock was only just learning the nuances of sarcasm, but he believed that Jim was employing it now. “We only danced for like a minute,”

“It was more than a minute,”

“Okay a minute and a half,” Jim said with a roll of his eyes. 

“One minute and forty seven seconds. But more importantly, it was also a lie,”

“A lie?”

“You did not tell me who you are or that your entire presence at the ball was to access the competition to steal the throne,”

“Oh, please forgive me your highness. Usually when I ask someone to dance I show them my family tree first. I must have forgotten my manners,”

Jim began to speak, but Spock heard someone coming toward them. He didn’t want anyone else to hear this conversation- he was still embarrassed that he had allowed himself to feel something-however fleeting- for this con-artist. He pulled Jim into a cramped closet where they had to stand nearly chest to chest. 

“The dancing is not the point,” Spock stated matter-of-fact-ly. 

“What exactly is the point?”

“That I am aware of your intentions, and have no plan to allow you to fulfill them,”

“And what am I trying to do?” He was smirked and licked his lips, and he couldn’t be sure, but it seemed as though Jim was almost leaning into him. Spock was mildly flustered, but managed to control himself, hopefully keeping the green blush from tinging his cheeks. 

He opened his mouth to respond, but the closet door was opened by two gossiping maids. They froze momentarily at the sight- the two men, standing too close with faces flushed. Spock tried to push away, but there was nowhere to go and only managed to knock over some cleaning supplies. 

With a twitch of a smile on his lips, Jim took a sidestep and left the closet with a small bow of his head and a facetious, “Your Majesty”.

Chris would need to be alerted so he could handle how to keep this out of the palace gossip circles, but that was not a conversation Spock wanted to have. He hated to already be such a disappointment, but it needed to be done so he sought out Michael to enlist her help.

 

Once again, Chris responded with patience when Spock explained what had happened. The glint in Michael’s eye as he retold what occurred in the closet with Jim confused him, but he pushed on, determined to be finished. Chris promised to handle the situation, and left them alone to go find Janice. 

“You blush when you talk about him you know,” Michael quipped once the doors had slid closed behind Chris.

“It is out of nothing but human irritation, I assure you,” He couldn’t even deny her accusations. He felt the warmth still stinging his cheeks and ears, no matter how hard he tried to suppress the reaction.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is another party at the palace, and Spock finds himself in a compromising position.

When Jim learned that there was a conservatory in the palace, he immediately sought it out. He stepped through the wide glass door and was hit with the thick, heavy heat that was a constant in every greenhouse, no matter how royal. The mingled smells of hundreds of flowers swirled through his nose and he felt a certain calm that he had only encountered in the library during his stay in the palace. The earthy smell made him feel grounded and the colors reminded him of how beautiful his home planet is. He plucked a pear from a tree and sat on a bench. He brought an old earth book, Pride and Prejudice, from the library hoping to clear his mind. He was unsure if he was allowed to take books out of the library, but they would never miss one book for a few hours. He started thumbing through the pages, when a someone cleared their throat making him jump.

Chris Pike had silently entered the greenhouse, and Jim clumsily tried to hide the book. Pike grinned and gestured toward the book, “You’re more than welcome to read them anywhere. Most of them are replicated, and hold no actual value,” 

“Oh, right. Thank you,” 

Pike pointed at the empty space next to Jim on the bench. “Sir James, do you have a minute? I’d like to talk to you,”

“Just Jim, please. Go right ahead,” He said with an air of confidence that he didn’t feel as he nervously ran his finger over the book’s spine, worried that he found out about Harry’s plan and was going to force him to leave the palace. 

After a moment of contemplative quiet, Chris said, “I guess I might as well just get right to the point. Why are you so against Spock being king?” 

The question was even more startling than his presence had been, and he didn’t have an answer prepared so he answered with truth. 

“My uncle believes that he doesn’t know the people,”

“And you agree?” There was no bite or even animosity in the question, just simple curiosity- a desire to understand. 

“I’m not against _Spock_.” He said with a sigh, “But I was born here, raised here. Spock didn’t even know we existed until a few weeks ago. This is is first trip here, and he is immediately being thrust onto the throne. I want what you want, Chris. I want what is best for this planet. We just have differing views of what _best_ is. How could he possibly be an effective ruler if he doesn’t even know the people?”

“That’s fair. Thank you, Jim. You’ve given me a lot to think about,” his sincerity kept knocking Jim off balance. His uncle had made him out to be a monster, but all Jim could see was a man doing his best for Genovia, while still managing to be kind.

 

Yet another party. Spock had barely been on Genovia for two weeks and it was already time for another party. Blessedly however, this party was to be smaller and less formal- it would be held outside in the gardens. No dancing, no being touched, however there would be much conversation. Chris had sent him a file with information on many of the invited guests- anything from the names of their grandchildren to where they had spent the last summer. He realized that they were things for him to remember to bring up in conversation. When he told this to Nyota, she asked for the file as well. They might as well both be as prepared as possible- Spock found her reasoning logical, and for the next few days, they studied the material together. 

Spock truly did enjoy spending time with her. Her kindness and patience with him had never wavered and she was even more intelligent than her profile had made her out to be. Occasionally, they would take a break and she would ask him to play his Vulcan lute. She sang along with it, and made up songs on the spot. The first lyrics were about Spock, the mysterious half Vulcan prince, once she finished that, she began making them about the people in the files. She claimed that putting it to song helped her remember the information. 

When the day of the party arrived, they were both well prepared- thanks in part to Nyota’s songs. Spock greeted everyone by name and even managed to fake small smiles when they made jokes. Nyota was of great help. She managed to do most of the talking, but still made it appear as if Spock was leading the conversation. She was charming and amiable, and Spock realized, she would make a wonderful queen. After some time, she seemed to notice Spock's energy lagging, and asked him to get her a drink. It would only be a few moments, but it would give him some small amount of peace. On his way back to Nyota, he caught sight of Ambassador Scott. He stopped to speak with him and after offering Spock a small square of chocolate, he finally coaxed the story of how he discovered his royal heritage out of Spock. He listened with rapt attention until something behind Spock caught his eye.

“Speaking of royalty, it looks like your wannabe king is here. And he is with Ms. Chapel,”

Spock felt something surge into his throat and his stomach seemed to drop. He knew he shouldn’t care, but yet… “Is she his girlfriend?” he felt silly even asking, but he needed to know.

“Sir James doesn’t have ‘girlfriends’, only dates- but very attractive ones,” He continued to speak with Mr. Scott, trying to keep himself from searching out the one person he should have been avoiding. 

After some time, Nyota came up behind him and took the drink he had gone to get for her, and though the ice had melted and watered down the drink, she sipped it and suggested taking a walk with Spock. He agreed and told Mr. Scott that they would speak again soon. 

They walked for a few moments in silence until they were walking a path out of earshot of the rest of the party. 

“You’re doing very well, Spock. I know this is hard for you, but you’ve handled this entire thing with grace,”

“It is with your help that I am able to continue this path to the crown, Miss Uhura,”

“Please, Spock. We’re engaged. You can call me Nyota,”

“Of course, Nyota,” He said with a small nod. As they turned a corner, they bumped into another couple who had also stolen away from the party as well. Before Spock could begin an apology for stepping on his foot, he looked up and saw those bright blue eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, before Nyota extended a hand to James’s date. “I’m Nyota Uhura,”

“Christine Chapel,” She responded with a smile, “Your highness,” she directed a curtsey at Spock who simply inclined his head.

“Christine and I were just discussing her latest achievement. She’s been accepted to medical school and is on her way to becoming an MD,”

“Jim, please,”

“Why not brag about it? You’re an amazing woman,”

“Congratulations, Miss Chapel. The galaxy can always use good doctors,” she smiled and was about to thank him, but he had already turned his attention to James to say “Nyota has a PhD in xenolinguistics,”

“That’s wonderful. Christine why don’t you tell him about how you worked on the recent cure for the Qukra flu saving all those people in the Eridanus solar system,”

Nyota and Christine looked uncomfortably at each other, but neither Spock nor Jim noticed. 

“That is fascinating. Nyota has helped thousands of displaced children from hundreds of planets find homes,”

“Nyota, I-” Christine started, but was cut off by Jim.

“Incredible. Christine singlehandedly-”

“I think that Miss Chapel was trying to speak. What were you saying, Christine?”

“I was just going to ask Nyota if she would like to go get something to drink with me?”

“I would love to. If we allow this to continue, it’s going to turn into a ‘my spaceship is bigger than your spaceship’ argument,”

They laughed together and left the two men alone, slightly dumbfounded. 

“You two make a very nice couple,” Jim commented. 

“Thank you,”

“It’s a shame you’re not attracted to her,” 

“Logically, attraction is unnecessary in an arranged-” he stopped himself from finishing. He didn’t want to admit anything to him. James made a small humming noise in the back of his throat and began to walk away, toward the large fountain situated under several tall trees. 

Spock hastened after him trying to correct his error. “You should not walk away while someone is speaking. Attraction _is_ unnecessary in an arranged marriage, however, I _am_ attracted to Miss Uhura,”

“Obviously,” Jim replied with a roll of his eyes.

“We are quite well matched. She understands me,”

“She understands you? Wow such passion. It’s funny, I still didn’t hear you mention love.” He plucked a flower from a nearby bush, sniffed it, and handed it to Spock with a flourish and a smug grin plastered on his face. Spock took the flower almost mechanically, but didn’t otherwise acknowledge it. 

“Love is… illogical. Perhaps you are simply jealous,” He was trying to shift the focus of the conversation away from himself and his relationship. 

“Jealous? Why would I be jealous? She has to spend the rest of her life with _you_ and I loathe you,”

He knew it was childish, but something about being near Jim brought out his human emotions more than he liked so he indulged himself by blurting out “And I you,” 

“I said it first,” Jim’s voice was low, and he stepped very close. From this distance, Spock could see where the bright blue edges of his eyes turned into a gray and green starburst around the pupil. He could see the tiny red veins in the whites of his eyes and a single stray eyebrow hair. He tried to take a step back, but James took hold of his shoulders and pulled him close. Their lips met and and James ran his tongue along Spock’s bottom lip. For a moment, Spock forgot everything else and melted into the kiss, into James’s arms. But he quickly remembered. He jerked back and wrenched himself free. His lips were tingling and a strange-but not entirely unpleasant- sensation was running through his abdomen. 

“You should not be kissing people without permission. Particularly not engaged people,” He felt breathless, but managed to force his voice to sound unaffected. 

“Want to know what I think. I think you liked it,” He waited for Spock to deny it, but no response came, “Want to kiss again?”

“I… No. I know what you are doing. You are trying to confuse me,”

“Am I? And what is so confusing about a kiss?”

“You want to make me question my choosing Nyota for long enough for you to come in and take the crown,” 

“Perhaps. Or perhaps I just like kissing and wanted to kiss you,” once again he took a step closer to Spock. Spock tried to retreat another step, but his calf bumped against the stone of the fountain, and he tumbled backward just as James had taken hold of his shoulders again, taking them both down into the water. 

They were soaking wet and lying chest to chest, and stayed that way for just a moment too long, staring into the other’s eyes. That was how a member of the palace gardening staff found them. Looking slightly scandalized, he turned and left them to disentangle their limbs and stand and shove away from each other. 

 

Chris found him as he tried to sneak back to the palace for a change of clothes. 

“Do I want to know?” 

“It is probable that you do not,” Spock responded, avoiding eye contact. 

“Let’s get you changed,” His tone was clipped and short. They went back to the palace in silence, but Chris was clearly waiting for his chance to speak to him alone. 

Michael was already waiting at his door with a change of dry clothes in her hands and a look of something akin to pity on her face. Once he was dressed, Chris finally spoke as if the words had been bubbling beneath the surface, waiting to be let out.

“You need to start being more responsible. I know that you just got here, and you just found out that you’re royalty, but something tells me that this behavior wouldn’t be appropriate on Vulcan either. First, you’re found hiding in a closet with a man who isn’t the one you’re marrying, then you’re laying in a fountain underneath the same man, who again, you are not engaged to. I’m afraid to ask what you’re getting up to when nobody is around to walk in on you,”

“There have been no such incidents. I did not plan for these things to happen. To borrow a human phrase, I simply ‘lost it’.” Though his clothes were dry, his hair was still wet and dripped water down his nose and cheeks every few seconds.

“Spock, you can’t afford to lose it. Other people can, but not you. You’re supposed to find it. People look up to you, they’ll hold you to a higher standard. Even more so than usual because of your heritage. Please, try harder. Stay away from Lord James all together if need be. I shouldn’t have invited him here in the first place, but that’s done, so just… keep it together for a few more weeks, then you’ll be married and the king, and we can relax a little bit, okay?” His voice softened, he wasn’t trying to be cruel, and Spock realized that Chris would be having a much easier time if Spock could stop being put into precarious situations with Lord James. 

“I will do better, Chris,”

“Thank you, Spock. Now let’s get back to the party before people start wondering where you went,”

As they made their way back to the garden, Spock and Michael walked several paces behind Chris, and spoke in low tones. 

“So, Lord James, huh?”

“He has been an irritation since arriving on Genovia,”

“Well, you seemed to enjoy your dance with him at the ball,”

“That was different. I was unaware of who he was,” 

“Still, it was enjoyable, was it not?”

“It hardly matters now. I intend to completely avoid him until after the wedding and coronation, if not forever,”

“Fascinating,” a small grin tugged on her lips. She could see Spock’s thoughts better than he could see them himself. This time, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know what she read in his face.

“I fail to see how my current situation is amusing to you,” 

“I’m not laughing. I know you have to marry Nyota, but I’d be interested to see what could have happened with you and Kirk,”

He huffed out a breath in response and walked closer to Chris so they couldn’t continue the conversation. It made no sense to consider what could be if the circumstances were different, because they were not. He was going to marry Nyota Uhura, and become king and never spare another thought for _Lord James T. Kirk_ ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the amazing comments. I love hearing your thoughts! And thank you for still reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock learns to ride a horse.

“Forgive me, Chris, but the nuances of human jokes still elude me,” Spock was staring up at Chris who sat astride a large horse, it looked as though he belonged there. He was trying to teach Spock the proper technique to mount the horse, but Spock was still too busy processing the fact that he would be forced to ride the beast to even consider that there was a proper way of getting onto the saddle on its back. 

“It’s no joke, Spock. Riding a horse to inspect the troops is an earth tradition that-”

“An _ancient_ earth tradition,” Spock interjected. 

“There’s an old Genovian saying that you control a kingdom as well as you control a horse,”

“So not only is it an absurdity, it is also superstition,” he was trying to keep his voice level, but he couldn’t see the logic in all of this pomp and circumstance- and frankly, he didn't like the idea of riding the horse. “Surely the head of security would be better equipped to inspect the guard than I.” The horse shook out its mane and stamped its back leg, making Spock’s shoulders tense slightly. 

Chris hid a small chuckle, climbed gracefully off the horse, and asked “Didn’t you have a pet sehlat? They’re much bigger and have six inch fangs. A horse is nothing compared to that,”

He didn’t have a logical retort. Logically, horses were much safer, but he had never even seen a horse outside of his PADD. He eyed the skinny legs that held the large body. It had no problem holding Chris’s weight, but as a Vulcan, Spock would weigh much more than Chris and he doubted the horse’s ability to hold all of his weight without issue. 

“Spock, you won’t have any problems, I promise. Children ride Jake in the parades. He is very gentle and smart and will do all of the work for you. It’s just something you need to do. You have plenty of time to practice and the ceremony itself is simple- just ride by them, and look at the troops. That’s all, you don't even have to actually inspect them, because the real inspection happens before hand. It’s quick and painless and it will be over in less than five minutes. If you want to continue and take the crown, this is just something you have to do. You can still back out, but-”

“I won’t be giving up over such a simple thing, I just fail to see the reason in riding a horse to prove my capability of ruling,”

Chris sighed, “I guess there isn’t any logic. Just formality,”

Spock saw the exhaustion in his eyes and the slight slump of his shoulders, and realized that Chris was already up against so much, it wasn’t fair to add to his fight. They were on the same side, so it was illogical to make his job harder than it already was. 

Without saying a word, he straightened his back, hooked his foot into the stirrup of the saddle, and kicked his leg up and over the horse the way Chris had showed him, not quite as graceful as the practiced maneuver Chris had showed him, but it was a start.

Chris’s eyes crinkled as his broad smile took over his face. The horse beneath him shifted and stamped, but seemed able to accommodate Spock nearly as easily as it held Chris. 

It was relatively simple, and in no time, he was able to control the horse at a walk on his own without Chris holding the lead. 

 

When it was time for the ceremony, Spock stood near Jake, his hands clasped behind his back. He tried to listen to what the announcer was saying, but between trying to keep a calm exterior and keeping up his mental shields, the voices around him sounded as if they were coming from underwater. He tried to ground himself, to anchor himself to reality and bring it all back into focus. He focused on where T’Pring and Nyota sat, trying to focus on their voices. After a moment, he realized who was sitting next to them. Spock’s breath caught in his chest as he caught sight of that brilliant smile and the mess of blonde hair. He zeroed in and forced himself to hear the conversation. 

“I’m James. Viscount Mudd’s nephew. I don’t believe we’ve met,” he extended his hand to T’Pring. 

“He’s the gentleman who is trying to stage a coup,” Nyota told T’Pring, not bothering to lower her voice. 

“T’Pring of Vulcan. Friend of the future King. I don’t like you,” she crossed her arms over her chest and refused even eye contact. Jim took his hand back, likely realizing his faux pas of offering a Vulcan his hand. Spock’s shoulders eased. He was glad to have the two of them on his side. 

From somewhere else, he vaguely heard his formal name and title being called- the speaker, being human, of course butchered the pronunciation of his name- but he realized that now was the time. He took a deep swallow of breath, slipped a foot into the stirrup, and gracefully swung a long leg over the horse to sit tall on its back. Gently, he squeezed his feet into the horse’s sides and it began to slowly walk forward. His eyes were cast in the direction of the guard, but he wasn’t seeing them at all. All he could concentrate on was controlling the horse and staying on the saddle. If he lost control here, the citizens would never take him seriously as a ruler. He was so close to the end. He nearly let himself relax when he saw something on the road. It looked like a snake, but it didn’t look quite right, like something was wrong about the way it moved.

Jake must have noticed it as well, because he stopped in his tracks and stomped and whinnied and shook out his mane. In a nearly mechanical movement, the snake moved its head. The horse reared up, nearly dumping Spock from the saddle, before landing hard and taking off. Chris had not prepared him for this outcome, had promised him it wouldn’t happen. He doubted it would make a difference even if he had learned. This animal was running on pure instinct and fear. All he could do was hold on and hope the horse tired soon. The hooves pounded hard against the dirt and every movement Spock swore would be the one that dislodged him from the seat. Thankfully, the horse was a creature of habit quickly and found shelter in the safety of the stable. Spock dismounted with none of the usual grace that Chris had taught him, practically falling off of its back onto the floor. 

Everything came crashing into him at once. He was a disgrace now. He couldn’t control the horse, he wouldn’t be able to control the planet. Chris would be so embarrassed of him, he would probably put Spock on a shuttle back to Vulcan in the dead of night so no one could see him do it. He fell to his knees in the corner and attempted meditation. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t stop the flow of tears that fell down his face. 

 

After the horse bolted, Jim stood and made to follow it, but his uncle clutched the back of his shirt and demanded he stay. He had seen Spock’s face when the horse reared up and he saw the toy snake that had been thrown at the horse’s feet. Though Harry had never told him this part of the plan, Jim knew that this was in part his fault. This whole thing had gone too far. There was still a part of him that wanted to be King, but that part was shrinking every day. He wrenched his shirt free from Harry’s grip, and left without another word. 

Jim knew that the horse would find safety somewhere familiar, so he headed toward the stables, and silently slipped in through the already ajar door, his footsteps muffled by the carpet of hay. The sunlight poured in through the window, illuminating the dust in the air like glitter raining down on the body kneeling in the corner facing the wall- shoulders heaving from labored breathing. If it had been anyone besides Spock, Jim would have sworn it was sobs that racked his body, but he didn’t think even _half_ vulcans could cry like that. 

“You shouldn’t hide, it will only make them talk more,” He tried to sound gentle and consoling, but it came out as a tease.

Spock didn’t move from where he knelt, he didn’t even turn to face Jim to say “I would prefer to be alone,” his voice sounded too thick.

“Spock, I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

“I don’t believe you are sorry, James. I believe that you are serving your own purpose and you don’t care who you hur-” he stopped himself before he could finish- before he could admit to feeling pain.

Jim walked over to him and sat on the floor with his back against the adjacent wall. “I really never meant for-”

“Please.” He tried to cover the emotion in his voice, but there was too much and his voice cracked. He turned his head to hide his face, but Jim was almost certain he saw a wetness glimmering on Spock’s cheek. “Allow me to meditate alone,”

“Spock,” It came out as barely more than a whisper, a plea to be heard, to be listened to. He reached out, wanting to touch him, but thought better of it and pulled away just as Pike, Michael, and Harry came bursting in, breaking the quiet stillness in the stable. Without a word, Michael helped Spock stand, and somehow, her small frame managed to block Jim’s view of him entirely. She knew just how to stand to shield him, as if she had been doing so her entire life. At the door, Pike took over as protector and he and Spock walked away back to the palace, and Spock never even turned back to look at him. Jim still sat on the floor of the stable, blinking at the spot where Spock had just been kneeling, an apology still bubbling on his lips, desperate to come out. 

“Jim, we’re leaving,” Harry said brusquely. 

Mechanically, he began to stand and dust himself off. 

“Actually, Mudd,” the way Michael said his name made it sound more like a curse than a moniker, “I would like to speak with you before you go. I am sure that you’re aware of my position as head of security. That means that my job is to protect the crown. To keep any harm from ever coming to the crown. To step in when someone tries to do harm. Do you understand me?”

“Of course I do, sweetheart,” he tried to pat her cheek, patronizing her further, but she was quick. She grabbed his wrist and twisted. In a heartbeat, Harry ended up slammed against a wall with his hand restrained behind him. 

“If you hurt my brother, you answer to me. And whatever I may do to you, know I have diplomatic immunity in half the galaxy, including Tellar Prime,” she released his wrist, Jim thought she may be bluffing, but he had no intention of finding out. 

Harry brushed himself off and tried to regain his pride. “You will find that ‘fear’ is not in my vocabulary,”

“That may be true,” she shrugged noncommittally, then tilted her head and stared at Harry in a way that Jim hoped she would never turn on him. It chilled his blood and gave him goosebumps, “However it is in your eyes,”

Harry backed away, and motioned for Jim to follow.

“Oh, Mudd, one last thing. You dropped this,” she tossed the toy snake to him. Harry looked as though he had been burned. Jim was shaken; this had all gone too far. He couldn’t take this feeling anymore. If he was be to King, the would go about it the right way. No more sneaking or tricking. And definitely no more hurting Spock.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim attends the Royal Parade and gets to see a glimpse into what Spock is like.

Jim had no desire to attend the royal parade, but Harry had told him that he had to, that it would look bad if he didn’t go, it would look like it didn’t care about being king. He wanted to tell Harry that maybe he didn’t care so much about being king anymore. But he held his tongue. He was already in a bad mood because his snake plan did not succeed at all. Not only was he now terrified of Spock’s sister, but the people had seen the snake and were just glad that Spock had been unharmed when the horse was spooked and took off. It seemed that they didn't take that saying quite as seriously as everyone thought, because it seemed they still had total faith in him. 

He managed to convince Bones to go with them, who eventually relented, saying “if it will make you stop whining, I’ll go,” but Jim knew better. He knew that even though Bones didn’t want to go, he would act as a buffer between Jim and Harry, who tended to keep his schemes to himself a bit more when Bones was around, as if afraid that Bones would spoil them. He was probably right about that, especially when those plans could hurt Jim. 

The three of them sat together in the roped off area where the dignitaries and other important people sat, right across the street from a gaggle of small children. A woman came by before the parade started, selling handheld flags with the emblems of both Genovia and the Federation. When she offered one to Harry he told her, “I will not be waving flags until a proper Genovian king is on the throne,”

She looked mildly stunned, but moved to leave, but Jim stopped her before she could walk away.

“I’ll take two. And can you make sure those kids over there all get one too?” Jim said, transferring the proper amount of credits to her. She beamed at him, and gave him his two flags before crossing the street to distribute them to the kids who were thrilled to have something to wave at the Prince as he passed. He grinned at hearing their squeals of delight and handed one of his own flags to Bones, ignoring how Harry spluttered, at a loss for words. 

Jim and Bones managed to enjoy themselves, waving their flags as marching bands and dancers made their way through the streets. His heart jumped when he noticed that Spock’s float was coming. He chastised himself halfheartedly. He shouldn’t be having these feelings, but somewhere along the line, something had gone wrong. Perhaps it was the very first dance that had screwed everything up, but everyday the plan looked more and more unappealing, and he felt dirtier with every new trick Harry had planned. 

The float stopped directly in front of where he sat, and for one very narcissistic moment, he thought maybe it had something to do with him. But Spock didn’t even seem to notice him. 

“He’s just going to stop the parade? This is quite rude and unprecedented,” Harry spoke too loudly, as if by saying the words, he could transfer the feeling to the others sitting around him, there was some muttering, but more out of curiosity and concern than annoyance. Jim rolled his eyes at his uncle, focusing instead on what was happening and why the parade had stopped.

Spock gracefully climbed off the float and walked over to where the children stood in a small crowd. Jim strained to listen to what was happening over the roar of the crowd. An old man told Spock that the children were all orphans, and Spock knelt by little boy, a half orion by the looks of it, and spoke gently. When he stood again, towering over two human boys who looked to be teenagers, Jim could hear his deep distinctive voice, clear as day, “I trust you will not be bullying him any longer,”

The boys shook their heads with wide terrified eyes glued to the towering prince in front of them. 

He spoke softly again, addressing all of the kids around him. Jim couldn’t hear what was said, but next thing he knew, Spock had called over another vendor, this one was selling children’s crowns and tiaras and fake pointed Vulcan ears. Jim thought he saw Spock cringe when he realized what they were supposed to be, but he must have imagined it, because Spock was letting all the children get what they wanted, while promising the salesman that he could pay for it all. Jim smiled softly to himself, watching Spock watch the children making the selections. His face was set in his usual neutral expression, but Jim would have sworn the corners of his lips twitched upward, just the smallest fraction of a movement, but it was still a smile- a genuine smile, not the phony smile he was forced to put on at the parties. Once everyone had something, he led them all into the street and helped them all onto the float. The parade began again, as if nothing had happened. The children all waved their flags and smiled at the crowd. Many of them it seemed wanted to be more like the Vulcan prince because they over half of them had chosen to wear the fake ears. Spock stood toward the back, with the small orion boy by his side. 

“Hugging orphans and kissing babies,” Harry grunted, “What a low, grotesque, despicable, political trick,”

“I don’t think it is a trick,” he said more to himself than to his uncle. Jim couldn’t help but think that perhaps Spock was more than his uncle had given him credit for. Maybe Spock actually was what was best for Genovia. It was clear that Spock cared, if he didn’t, then he would have given up long ago. 

After the float passed, Jim was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Bones ask “What’s got you all starry-eyed?” 

 

After the parade, Nyota had suggested that they make a project out of helping the orphan children who rode in the parade with Spock. They would start by finding better facilities to house the children. Nyota had much experience in this field, so he asked her to take the lead, but he was excited to work with her. Spock left the conference room feeling like he had really accomplished something for the first time since arriving on Genovia. He and Nyota collaborated very well and had similar ideas for how to best help. 

T’Pring met him in the hallway and they began making their way to the kitchen where a chef offered to try to make them plomeek soup, but as they turned the corner, Spock bumped into James. 

“Hello,” 

“Hello,” Spock hoped he didn’t sound as breathless as he felt.

“My hello is insignificant,” T’Pring said after a beat. As she left, Spock was both pleased to have a moment alone with James, but also concerned that this time would go just as poorly as they had in the past. 

“Spock, I…” he started, but hesitated. “I just wanted to tell you that I was very impressed by what you did at the parade,”

“Thank you, Sir James,”

“Really, it was incredible. Very kingly,” He was the opposite of a Vulcan in every way. His easy smiles should have been uncomfortable, but instead they filled Spock with an unexpected warmth. He wanted nothing more that to bask in the glow that radiated from Jim. Spock felt light headed.

“I should go,”

“Of course. I just wanted to make sure I told you in person how wonderful what you did was,”

Spock was flustered and uncomfortable with the level of emotion he felt. He nodded curtly at James, turned on his heel and left. He met T'Pring and Michael in the kitchens, but was distracted all through the meal. The chef had made the soup surprisingly well, and he made a mental note to ask her to make it again another day, when he was less distracted. Michael and T'Pring chatted to themselves after taking note of Spock's mental state and decided not to pry into what was wrong. He kept his composure until he made it into his room where he knelt on the floor to meditate, desperate to sort his feelings.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock gets an archery lesson from an unlikely teacher

“Jamie, what exactly are you trying to tell me?” 

Jim groaned inwardly at the nickname he had hated since childhood, but pushed ahead with his point rather than correcting his uncle. He had called Harry to meet him in the palace and was determined to tell him that he had changed his mind about the plan before he lost his nerve. He was happy to see that Bones had come along as well, since Harry was more likely to temper his rage when Bones there to see. 

“I’m saying that he’s smart. And that he cares about Genovia,”

“He’s a Vulcan. They don’t have emotions enough to care about a planet,”

“Even if that is true- which I’m beginning to think it isn’t- you yourself reminded me that he is half human, too. Maybe,” he paused, wringing his hands together. His eyes flicked to Bones in the corner who gave him a small nod of encouragement and a ghost of a smile, “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if… if he _did_ become the king,”

Harry stared at him, incredulous, for a very long moment, saying nothing. He slowly rose from his chair and stood uncomfortably close to Jim. “Have you lost your mind?” his voice was frighteningly calm, but Jim stood his ground.

“Spock is so willing to give up his entire life for Genovia. He left the only home he’s ever known, knowing that he’ll never live there again. He’s spent countless hours training and preparing for the duties that come with this title. He is willing to marry someone he just met, and that he knows he will never love. He only just got here and he is willing to do all of that. Imagine how he’ll feel in a year, or hell, in ten years. You told me that he has no heart, but he has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever seen, he just shows it differently,”

“And after everything I’ve done for you, we walk away with nothing?”

“It wouldn’t be nothing, Uncle. Genovia would be in the best possible hands, and… and he would be happy,” His voice was soft.

“Ah, I see,” Harry dropped back into his chair with a strange aggression. “You’ve fallen in love with him,”

“What? No. Uncle, listen. All I’m asking is-”

“No, you listen to me, boy. I know what you’re asking. But what exactly do you think will happen? That he’ll leave Nyota and marry you? That’s absurd- he would hate you for all the lies you’ve told him and the schemes you’ve helped concoct to delegitimize him. And besides, I won’t stand for it. I put in too much time and effort to make you a king by right not by marriage,”

“That’s not going to happen anyway. Spock doesn’t care about me,”

“But you care about him,”

Jim knew it was the truth, but refused to admit that to his uncle. Spock didn’t feel the same way so it didn’t matter how he felt. “All I want is to stop trying to sabotage him. That’s it,”

Harry sighed, seeming to give in. “If that’s what you really want, than I suppose that is what we shall do. All I ever wanted was your happiness, my boy,”

Jim’s heart lifted. He already had so many regrets about what he had done to Spock, but now he could finally stop without disappointing or hurting anyone more than he already had. 

“Go to him. Tell him we surrender. Give him my congratulations,” He patted Jim on the cheek before Jim could bolt out of the door, brushing past Chekov and Sulu, to try to find Spock somewhere in the maze that was the palace and its surrounding grounds. 

 

Spock drew the arrow back, elbow high, and released. It went sailing through the air on a high arc and buried itself into a tree trunk. He suppressed a frustrated groan as the coach yet again told him to clear his mind and the rest will come. Even if he didn't have the the wedding and coronation both looming over his head, he was sure that his muscles were unable to perfect an activity which he never learned. He sent several more arrows flying, each missing the target by at least a foot. Nyota had been watching patiently from a picnic blanket she shared with Chekov, Sulu, and T’Pring as he sent arrow after arrow through the air and into various trees and shrubs and tore up the grass. He was determined to learn, but sent his coach away. Her approach to teaching was too tactile and she continued to touch Spock to move his body into the proper position, rather than showing him. It made him deeply uncomfortable, and because he had to keep a tighter rein on his mental shields, it made it even harder to focus on learning. After about an hour of trying to teach himself, T’Pring cleared her throat and nodded her head and looked behind Spock. He followed her gaze and saw him. Sir James was walking up the path toward them. T’Pring was at Spock’s side in a second. 

“Should I get rid of him or should I get rid of her?” she glanced from James and back to Nyota, “Just tell me who you want me to get rid of,” 

“I just want one moment with him,” He muttered after a moment’s hesitation. T’Pring nodded with a very un-vulcan like glint of mischief in her eyes. 

“Nyota, did Spock tell you that Vulcan has no moon?” she began steering her back to the palace with Chekov and Sulu following at a distance. Just before leaving earshot, he heard Chekov ask Sulu “That’s not the one he’s marrying is it?” and Sulu replied “Keep up, that’s the one trying to steal the crown,” 

Spock stood in place making a show of inspecting the arrows. He didn’t want Sir James to think that he was waiting for this encounter- even if it was exactly what he was doing. He stepped onto the open lawn and plucked an arrow from the ground and chuckled. 

“Is there something you find amusing?” Spock asked him.

“Not at all,” He looked up through those long lashes again, “Unless of course, you were aiming for the statue of your great great grandfather.” He used the arrow to point to the statue that stood less than a foot from where it landed. 

“I would think one could assume that that was not my intended target,” He turned away from him, already regretting the decision to stay, eager to not be in his presence anymore. He stood too close, it was too much. Too tempting. He couldn’t admit it, even to himself-if only because it wasn't possible, but he wanted James. He took a step back, James seemed to register this and respected the space, standing his ground, choosing not to close the distance again. 

“May I?” He pointed to the bow in Spock’s hands. Spock handed it to him, hoping to end this encounter and allow him to be in peace if only for a few moments. With barely a look, James nocked the arrow, pulled the string, and released, allowing it to fly straight into the dead center of the target Spock had been trying to hit all day. His mouth dropped open for a fraction of a second before he controlled himself and snapped it shut. 

“How did you do that?” he asked with barely concealed awe. 

“My uncle has been training me for years for-” he cut himself off, but Spock heard the rest of the sentence through context. He was training him to take the crown. “Well he’s been training me in a lot of things,” He said with an embarrassed grin. He nocked a second arrow and let it fly to the target to land directly next to the first. He didn’t even watch the arrow fly, instead keeping his gaze steady on Spock who managed to keep his face under control this time but his eye were shining, amazed. James smirked as he handed the bow back to Spock. 

“I can show you… If you’d like,” 

Without saying a word, Spock nocked another arrow and pulled it back. He felt a hand on his elbow pushing it down. “There, like that. Now touch your lips.”

Spock narrowed his eyes at him. James let out a light laugh, but it seemed friendly- teasing, rather than mocking.

“With your thumb, I mean. You want to pull back to the same spot every time. You’ll shoot more consistently and it will help improve your accuracy. Don’t take this the wrong way, but spread your legs a little more,” Spock could hear the grin in his voice as his foot tapped Spock’s back foot, evening out his stace. Spock already felt more balanced, though the blood rushing through his head was making him dizzy. 

Spock’s arm was ready to release the arrow, but it seemed his lesson was not quite over yet. James stood behind him, pressing his chest to Spock’s back. He pulled on his shoulder to bring it flush with his own, straightening Spock’s back. “Keep this shoulder steady, but relaxed.” His hand trailed from Spock’s shoulder down his arm and ran a finger over his left hand. “Ease up on this hand. Don’t choke the bow like that, your knuckles are white.” Spock suppressed the shiver that tried to take over his body at the tender touch of fingertips to knuckles, and the whisper of breath over his ear. Surely this was more contact his previous coach had employed to teach him, but this felt different. He didn't feel the need to keep his feelings quite so close to his chest, even if that was illogical. He enjoyed the sensation of James pressed up against him, their bodies flush. 

Spock steeled himself. It was overwhelming having him this close- having this much contact. “Now, exhale, and before you breathe in again, gently let go,” the arrow sailed over his fingers and landed with a _thunk_ into the outer edge of the target. 

“See, you’ll be hitting the bullseye before you know it,” James said as he backed away. In his absence, Spock’s back suddenly felt very cold. His knuckles still tingled where James had brushed his fingers. 

“How’d that feel?” James asked him, only a little bit smug.

Spock was sure that there were no words to describe how he felt, and he didn’t want to feel them at all. He was still Vulcan, and he was still to marry Nyota. None of that was going to change. “Adequate,” he mumbled, though a green flush had made its way up his ears and across his cheeks. 

“Why don’t you try it again. By yourself this time.” He grinned and stepped back, giving Spock a nod of encouragement.

Remembering what he had told him, and recalling the feel of James’ skin on his, he pulled another arrow back, and let it fly. Again, it arched through the air and sunk into the outer edge of the target. He looked over at James, trying to hide his pride. James, however, had no such reservations. His smile stretched across his face, lighting up his face and bringing color to everything around him. Spock’s heart stuttered, his entire world focusing in on the beauty before him. Once it registered that James was smiling at him- _because_ of him, he needed to look away, needed to tear his gaze from the ethereal sunshine radiating from this man- but he couldn’t. 

_This cannot happen_ , he reminded himself sternly, while willing his heartbeat to slow. _Far too much is at stake_.

“Thank you, Sir James,” Spock said, hoping that breaking the silence would ease the tension that had been building in the air. 

“Please, call me Jim. Just Jim,” he took one step toward Spock. 

“Jim. Thank you. Hopefully I will succeed before my coronation day,” without realizing what he was doing Spock closed the distance between them with another step. 

“I’m sure you will, Spock.” He was smiling again and he took a final step toward Spock- they were little more than a breath apart. They were so close that Spock could smell the sweet scent of Jim’s soap. “Listen, I wanted to apologize. I see that you’re doing what you think is right and I can tell that you’ll make a great ruler. I shouldn’t have meddled. So, I’m gracefully bowing out. I’ve come to pack my things and I’ll be out of your hair in a day or so, and I promise, you’ll never have to see or hear from me ever again.” He gave a small, formal bow and started to turn away.

“Jim, wait,” Spock took another step, closing the distance once again with his hand outstretched. He hadn’t planned anything to say. He just didn’t want Jim to go. It was illogical and irresponsible, but he wanted Jim to say. And not just until coronation, but indefinitely. Spock let his facade slip and Jim read this in his face. 

Jim grabbed his outstretched wrist, avoiding the faux paus of holding his hand. “Come see me? One last time before I go?” they were close, too close. Their chests were nearly touching when out of the corner of his eye, Spock saw Michael and a small security team running practice drills and quickly stepped back. 

“I can’t. There is always someone watching me,” he didn’t have it in him to deny his desire any more, not when he was sure it was so clearly etched into his face . What he wanted wouldn’t change the situation, so what did it matter if he simply acknowledged it. 

“Trust me, I’ll find a way,” Jim whispered, lightly brushing his hand against against Spock’s while looking so deeply into his eyes, Spock was sure he could see his katra. He must have liked what he saw, because he smiled that smile again, just a flash this time, but it was still enough to blind. He turned and walked back the way he came, leaving Spock, bow in hand, awestruck at the turn of events. He stared after him, Jim's hands stuffed into his pockets, whistling jovially as he sauntered across the lawn. Spock tried again to slow his heart, but his mind involuntarily called up the image of Jim’s smile, and it started to race again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. This was my favorite scene to write and I had so much fun with it. Also thank you all again for your continued support and comments! It means so much!!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock sneaks out

Spock had a sneaking suspicion that Chris had sent Chekov and Sulu to spend time with him in his quarters to keep his thoughts from returning to Jim. Michael and T’Pring had joined them, causing Chekov to dub it a “slumber party”. He found that he genuinely enjoyed the time spent with all of them. Chekov was smart and they shared an interest in sciences; Sulu was quick and was able to quickly pick up on whatever they were talking about. The night was getting late and there was talk of going to bed when a faint _plink_ caused Michael and Spock to look to each other. Spock’s raised eyebrow asking “what was that?” without a word. When they heard the noise again, T’Pring stood and crossed the room to his window. 

“Spock, I think you should see this,” This caught everyone’s interest and they all crowded behind T’Pring. Through the window, Spock could see the shock of golden hair, glittering pale and beautiful in the glow of the moons. Jim threw another pebble and motioned for Spock to open the window, and he hesitantly complied. 

“Rapunzel, let down your hair!” his wide smile shining bright. Spock ran his fingers through his hair, confused. 

“Jim, I- I am afraid I don’t understand,” 

Down below, Jim laughed and the sound sent a thrill down Spock’s spine. Sulu explained, “It’s an old earth fairy tale. A princess locked in a tower climbs down to be with a prince,”

“I am not locked in the palace,”

“He wants you to go down there with him,” Chekov clairfied.

“Do you want to?” T’Pring asked. 

“I should not. It is illogical,”

“Spock,” Michael said with a sigh, “do something impulsive for once in your life. After the wedding, you’ll probably never get an opportunity to do something like this again. Think of it as a science experiment,” She could tell that he wanted to go, so she framed it in a way that would make it seem almost logical to go do this very illogical thing. When he looked bashfully away from her, and back to Jim down below, she knew what he was going to do. “Chekov, Sulu, you two go distract Pike. Make sure he doesn’t catch onto Spock- he can’t know,” they nodded in unison and left. 

“T’Pring will stay here in case Pike comes in to check on you after… whatever Chekov and Sulu say to him, and I will cover for you in any other way. Now, you are going to climb down that tree outside of your window, and have a nice night with that handsome man that you clearly want to be with,”

With the barest hint of a smile, he nodded to his sister and began to clamber out of the window and onto the old oak tree. With shaking hands, he started his descent, muttering about how illogical it was to go this way instead of the door, but he secretly enjoyed the thrill of the romance of it. He almost felt like a character in the human novels he liked so much. He was almost to the bottom when his foot slipped and he went flying down, nearly landing on Jim and knocking him over in the process. He laid in humiliated silence for a moment, before Jim began to roar with laughter, pressing his hand to his mouth to muffle the sound. Spock wished that the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Embarrassment was illogical, but he could not stop it from heating his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

Jim sat up, still laughing, and dusted himself off. When he saw the Spock still had not moved, he leaned over him and touched his face his brow furrowed with concern.

“Spock! Spock, are you okay?”

“Physically, I am adequate,” though Spock was humiliated, Jim’s smile returned and filled his field of vision.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” He gently helped Spock to his feet. They snuck off to the stables but Spock voiced his concerns about riding a horse again after what had happened during the inspection of the troops.

“You can ride behind me, that way all you have to do is hold on,” Jim suggested with a grin. Once on the back of the horse, Spock wound his arms around Jim’s strong torso and they rode to a large lake just off the palace property that Spock had never seen before. 

Jim climbed down and offered Spock a hand to help him down as well. He took it without thinking, as if taking Jim’s hand was an old habit that couldn’t be broken. Jim spread out a blanket and they sat together under the huge weeping willow tree that gracefully swayed in the breeze and seemed to create the illusion of being hidden behind the huge curtain of its sweeping branches. 

Jim took Spock’s hand and began trailing his fingertips over his palm like a fortune teller reading Spock’s future. Spock shivered under the gentle touch. Certainly, Jim had forgotten about Vulcan hand sensitivity, but it would have been rude to tell him to stop. 

“Tell me your greatest desire,” Jim whispered, though there was no one to hear them other than the owls that hooted overhead. 

Spock found he couldn’t answer. To answer would be to admit that Jim and his uncle had won. That he had no actual desire to get married to Nyota, that if the consequences were anything else, he would call off the wedding and run away with Jim. His greatest desire was to commandeer a starship and find a home in the skies together with Jim. But they couldn’t. It was too important that Spock stay and become king, there was too much at stake. So instead he whispered back, “Tell me a secret,”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” Jim said with a chuckle. 

“A desire is something one may share with the world. A secret is something you keep. A piece of information you do not give out freely,”

“Okay, that’s fair,” he paused, thinking. “I’m deathly afraid of jellyfish,” 

Spock looked up from their tangling fingers and raised an eyebrow and Jim, who just smiled back and said “Now you. What’s your secret?”

“I enjoy watching clouds as they change shapes in the wind,”

So softly that Spock almost couldn’t hear, Jim replied “I’m afraid that I’m unworthy of being loved,”

Something twisted in his chest. How could Jim not see- not feel how much love Spock felt for him. He wanted to tell him how he felt, but it would not matter. He had to be married to Nyota in just a few days. 

He muttered, voice shaking, “Vulcans do have emotions- more intense emotions than humans even. But we actively reject them for fear they will be our destruction,” He hoped that Jim would hear his secret message hidden in his words- that his feelings would ruin everything. 

As if to lighten the mood, Jim responded, “I haven’t danced with you since the grand ball,”

“That is neither a desire nor a secret. That is a fact,”

“Actually, it’s all three. Because the secret is that I still desire to,” He stood and pulled Spock up with him and Spock saw something sparkling in Jim’s eye that he couldn’t quite place, but decided that it suited him. He held Spock close and he hummed some ancient earth song, and they swayed, pressed together to Jim’s song, and even when his song ended, they continued to sway in messy circles.

When they sat back on the blanket, Spock was dizzy, but weather it was from the spinning or the ghost of Jim’s breath on his neck, he couldn’t be sure. He meant to go back to the palace, but when they leaned into each other against the tree, Jim stopped speaking mid-conversation and began lightly snoring. Listening to the rhythm of Jim’s breathing, Spock was suddenly exhausted as if he had not slept for weeks, and finally laid down in a cozy bed. The exhaustion had weakened his mental shields and he was overcome by emotion and he breathed out a single word. A word with so much meaning behind it, that he could never have given it a proper standard language translation. A word he never thought would be part of his vocabulary.

“T’hy’la.” 

 

When the rising sun splashed light over his face, he opened his eyes and stirred, waking Jim as well. Jim looked at him with bleary eyes, but smiled and said “Good morning,”

“I should not have stayed out all night,”

“It’s alright, we’ll get you back before anyone notices,” 

Spock smiled up at him, and was hit again with the desire to see this image every day- to get to be the one to see Jim’s messy hair and the way his shoulders tensed when he stretched. Jim caught him staring, and he quickly looked away, over the lake. A boat that was tied to a dock on the far side began to shift in the water, though there was no tide or waves. 

“Is there someone in that boat?” 

“It’s probably just a fisherman or something,” 

“Jim, he has a camera,”

“What?”

Spock couldn’t believe he had fallen for this trick so easily. He had allowed himself to feel so deeply, and now it was as if Jim had shot a phaser through his abdomen. His posture stiffened and he stood and stepped away from Jim, trying to keep his voice steady “I cannot believe I trusted you,”

“No, Spock, wait. I don’t know who that is,”

“Truly, it is a pity that you didn’t get more scandalous footage,” 

“That’s not my boat, Spock. Please believe me. That isn’t me. I wouldn’t-,”

“Sir James,” he said, his voice suddenly ice cold, “I wish to never see you again. You will stay far from the royal palace,” without a second thought for his wariness of the animal, Spock mounted the horse and rode off, leaving Jim alone with no way to get back but to walk, but Spock couldn’t bring himself to care. After everything they had shared he was more hurt than he could even admit that it had all been a set up. Jim’s one final plot to steal the crown. He just needed to get back to the palace. Hopefully Chris and Michael and T’Pring would know what to do.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock does what he can to fix his mistake, and I love writing sibling scenes.

When Chris entered Spock’s room, Spock was kneeling in front of his meditation candles. He didn’t want to interrupt, but he knew that he needed to apologize, and it was now or never, so he plopped down into the desk chair, and sighed.

“Look, Spock, I know you’re meditating and I’m sorry, but I need to get this out in the open.” The hooded figure shifted and he took that to mean that he was listening, even if he didn’t turn around. “Things have been so high pressure lately, and I’ve been too hard on you. I know you’re doing everything you can, and it’s a hell of a lot more than most people would do. I’m proud of you Spock. You’ve come a long way and without you… Well, I don’t know what I’d be doing right now, but I…”

Before Chris could finish, Spock came running through the door. Chris looked from Spock back to “Spock” who had lowered the hood of the meditation cloak and Chris saw that it was T’Pring. T’Pring’s eyes were locked on Spock however. He looked disheveled and uncharacteristically distraught, as if he were moments away from weeping in front of all of them. He was frozen in the doorway, staring at them, waiting to see what was going to happen, but clearly hoping to be left alone. After a tense moment, Janice was in the doorway, her face in a panic. 

“I think you need to see this,” she worked to bring something up on the PADD, and suddenly Spock wouldn’t make eye contact. He looked like he was trying to make an escape, but all of his exits were blocked. When Janice handed the PADD to Chris, the face of Elsie Penworth, Genovia’s known gossip journalist, was smiling wickedly. He pressed play she she began speaking. 

“You all were worried about how boring it would be to have a Vulcan as a royal. ‘Where will we get our royal gossip?’ you asked. Well it turns out, less than a month after arriving here, our new favorite pointy eared royal has already churned up a scandal.” The image shifted to show Spock and Sir James, wrapped in each other’s arms, laying under a tree. Lazily waking up and untangling their hands and limbs before Spock looked up and saw whoever made the recording. It shifted back to Elsie as she asked “Will Nyota still want to marry the prince who runs off in the middle of the night to do… well who knows what with his own rival? You can trust me to keep you updated as we find out just who will be our next king,” and like that the video was over, but Chris couldn’t look away from the still image of the two of them asleep under the tree- Spock gently curled into James’s side while James nuzzled his face into Spock’s hair. Without the context of what could happen in the fallout, it would have been a beautiful and romantic image. 

But now, he looked up at Spock who had tried to scrape together his dignity and stood at a parade rest, but was still looking around the room, avoiding eye contact and trying to keep his lip from trembling. The silence was becoming oppressive as they all waited for someone else to start speaking. The silence was finally broken by Michael, who came skidding into the room, likely to warn him, but she stopped short when she saw the crowd that had gathered in his quarters. 

“Did you… Chekov and Sulu...” Chris began to ask if they all helped to pull the wool over his eyes to allow this midnight romp to happen. It was suspicious when Chekov and Sulu felt the need to give a report on the whole day, but sometimes with them, it was hard to tell when normal was weird and weird was normal. 

“I acted alone,” Spock spoke over him. I told them that I wished to sleep and asked them to leave. Michael and T’Pring left as well, and only once they were gone did I sneak away,”

“Why, Spock?” He was at a loss. This had seemed to mean so much to him, but now he could have possibly thrown this one shot out the window. 

“I thought that I was in-” Though Spock caught himself, Chris could have sworn he was about to say that he was in love- however illogical that was. “The reason is inconsequential. I will speak with Miss Uhura and attempt to repair the damage I have caused. I apologize for making your job more difficult. Jim- Sir James has said he will leave the city and no longer contact me. I expect he will keep his word. We should not see him again,” he pushed through the room, and though he was keeping his face neutral, Chris was almost sure he saw a tear glittering in the corner of Spock’s eye. He pointedly stood by his bathroom door and said “Now if you’ll all excuse me, I must prepare for the day ahead,” 

He wanted to say something, yell something. Tell Spock how goddam irresponsible he had been. But he suspected that nothing could possibly make him feel worse than he already felt. Whatever had actually happened by that lake, it had shaken Spock to the very core of his being. So silently, Chris stood and left the room, leaving Spock alone with his sister, who didn’t look like she was prepared to go anywhere.

 

“As head of security, I need to know what actually happened,” Michael said with an air of superiority that made him bristle. 

“As I said, there is no need. Sir James will be gone by the end of today and hopefully the wedding will be as planned tomorrow and everything can go on as normal,”

“Then as your sister I want to know,” her voice was softer and she sounded more like the child she had been than the woman she had grown into.

He could see she was not going to relent, so to get it over with sooner rather than later, he sighed and sat cross legged on his bed. She sat across from him, mirroring him. It was like they were children again. So often, they had sat this way and played games, or told stories, or brought comfort. He recalled one day in particular when his schoolyard bullies had gotten him alone and insulted his family- his human mother and sister, his traitor father, his emotional brother, and himself, nothing more than a filthy half blood. He had launched himself at the boys, but they were older and out numbered him. He came home bruised and bleeding, but refused to tell anyone what had happened; refused until Michael had worn him down. They sat, just as they were now, on his bed and she snuck some saffir- one of his favorite treats- from the kitchen and shared it with him as he told her what had happened. 

“He said he was giving up. ‘Bowing out’ was the phrase he used. And I believed him. But he lied. He took me to the lake and I enjoyed it. Of course, we did nothing inappropriate, but I had never felt such-” he paused, almost unwilling to admit it, but the softness in his sister’s eyes begged him to trust her. “I have never felt such love. I was not intending to fall asleep, but I had no desire to leave his company. Then we woke and I realized someone was watching- filming. He planned all of it. I was stupid and naive. A mistake I do not intend to make again,”

“Spock you weren’t stupid. This is overwhelming. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. And if circumstances were different-”

“But they are not,” he cut her off, his voice cold, “They are what they are now. No matter my feelings or situation, I must marry Nyota, and if that is to be successful, I can never see him again. I cannot even think about him,”

“Are you sure he’s the one who set you up?”

He raised a questioning brow.

“Are you certain it was him, and not someone else?”

“I do not think it matters, Michael. There are no other options open to me,” She nodded slowly, and allowed her shoulders to sink before standing and walking to the door.

“I’m sorry you aren’t allowed to pursue what you actually want, Spock. I wish it was different,”

Silently, he wished the same as he nodded to his sister and she left him to be alone. He allowed himself more time than usual to meditate and prepare for the day. There was much that needed to be done, and much to try to forget. 

 

She was waiting for him in the library by their usual chess table. Her mouth was a firm line, and her arms folded across her chest. 

“Nyota, I… I believe I should begin with I apologize,” She sat still, waiting for more, “I should not have gone with Sir James, but you must understand that nothing of a sexual nature happened. Not even the kissing humans are so fond of,”

“But you still went, Spock. I don’t think you understand. This engagement ending would harm you more than me. But the thing is, I still think this marriage is a good idea,”

“You do? So we will continue with our arrangement?”

“I’ve given this a lot of thought. You chose me, and I accepted. I won’t back out on my word as long as it’s what you want to do. We will go into that palace tomorrow, and stand before our friends, family, and citizens and say ‘I do’ and become man and wife- king and queen,” it was all very matter of fact, more like a business transaction than a discussion of impending nuptials. She continued, softer than before, with more emotion “And you- you will be the greatest king Genovia has ever known. I have faith in that,”

“I fail to see your logic,”

“Are you trying to talk me out of it, Spock?” Her tone back to teasing. 

“Of course not. That would be truly illogical. If you are certain that is what you wish to do, then I give you my thanks,”

“We both entered into this arrangement with an understanding. Neither of us expected to love the other. It’s practical, not emotional- something you are very familiar with. So while what you did upset me, it didn’t hurt me,”

Spock wasn’t sure he understood exactly what she meant by that, but knew that was she wanted was a promise that his behavior wasn’t the beginning of a pattern. “Please believe me, Nyota, this is not an action I intend to repeat,”

She smiled at him and without another word, moved her pawn forward.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some truths come out regarding one Harry Mudd.

There was no way Jim could go back to the palace after what happened. Even if he did go back, he knew that Spock wouldn’t see him. He wanted to apologize, to explain that he genuinely didn’t know who had set them up, but that it wasn’t him. He wanted to explain that in the past month, Jim had fallen deeper in love than he ever thought possible- even though he knew that there was nothing to be done. Spock would be married to Countess Uhura, and Jim would go back to being the sad boy who followed Harry Mudd around, desperate for approval; no matter how well he hid that desire from the outside world, he could never truly hide it from himself. For so long, Jim was sure of who he was, of what kind of person he wanted to be. Then Sam died when Jim was just a teenager and Uncle Harry came swooping in to rescue him. His mother was overcome with grief and told Jim that it would be better for him to not have to see that. He had lost so much, she didn’t want him to have to watch as she lost herself to her own heartbreak and misery. So he left with his uncle, and he turned Jim into someone he barely recognized- someone who (before falling so deeply in love with Spock) _would_ have called the reporters to embarrass and ruin someone else, just so he could get what he wanted. 

He couldn’t go back to Harry’s either. After all the guilt and regret the past few hours had churned up, he knew he wouldn’t even be able to look Harry in the eye. A fleeting thought danced across his mind, but he couldn't quite grab ahold of it to look at it more closely. What if it was Harry who had sent the reporter? What if he saw how Jim felt and decided to make sure to put an end to it. 

But no. Harry said that he just wanted Jim to be happy. He was upset about what happened and that had made him paranoid. That was all. Harry wanted what was best for him- end of story. 

Nevertheless, it appeared as though he had nowhere to go. He stayed by the lake all day, trying to figure out where everything had gone so wrong. By the time the sky began to bruise purple with the setting sun, he was no closer to a conclusion than he had been in the morning. He sat under the weeping willow tree, and pulled the blanket they had slept on up around his shoulders and pulled it tight, as if to protect himself from all the bad thoughts that plagued him. 

 

It was much less pleasant to be woken by the morning sun alone than it was when you were wrapped around a beautiful Vulcan who radiated heat and comfort. Waking up next to Spock had been like a dream. The way his hair was nearly unruffled by sleep except for the way it curled slightly around his ears had made Jim’s heart flutter. But now- alone- the morning was cold, and he was covered in dew. 

Thinking of Spock only made his heart ache. In a few hours, Spock would be married and Jim would be alone. He knew he would need to leave the planet before long- his sanity wouldn’t be able to take seeing Spock and Uhura at every turn. On his way back to Harry’s house he began thinking of planets he could go to. He had been to earth with Sam and their mother once when he was very young and he remembered it with much fondness. He had heard of the spectacular oceans on Laraleuth, and the vast forests on Bikra IV and thought perhaps he could start over on either of those planets. But neither of them were Genovia- neither of them were home. 

He pulled the door to Harry’s house open and Harry barely even looked up. “When did you leave?” but Jim didn’t feel like arguing- like explaining that he hadn’t seen Harry since he told him that they would stop trying to take the throne, nearly two days ago. 

Instead, he noted the tuxedo he wore and asked, “Where are you going?”

“ _We_ are going to the wedding of the century,”

“Why would we go, Uncle? The plan is over and you don’t want Spock as King anyway,”

“As viscount, it would be inappropriate for me not to go!” he said with mock sincerity, before adding with undisguised glee, “Plus it’s going to be a complete disaster and I wouldn’t miss it for the universe,”

“I think it would best if I didn’t go. Spock made it very clear that he nevers wants to see me again,”

“Don’t give up so easily, my boy. Run down the aisle, yell your objections, sweep him off his feet- he’ll be yours in a week,”

“I told you, Uncle. I’m done. Spock’s life isn’t a game for you and I to manipulate. He’s going to marry Nyota and I’m going to leave him alone,”

“Ah, well then, perhaps it is best you stay behind. Wouldn’t want you to have to see this,” he walked out the door with a peculiar spring in his step, but Jim didn’t even notice.

He sat down on the couch and put his face in his hands- embarrassment, anger, and regret swirled together in his head with dizzying effects. He didn’t even realize that Bones was there until he put his hands on his shoulders, lightly shaking him. 

“Jim! Jim are you okay?”

He looked up into his friend’s eyes, suddenly exhausted. “I’m alright, Bones,”

After making his own assessment to make sure that was true, he said, a little harsher than he meant to “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you,”

“After… everything… I couldn’t stay at the palace. Spock blamed me and I can’t blame him for that. But I couldn’t stand to come back here either. I just needed to be alone,”

“Jim, your uncle-” 

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Jim cut him off.

“You don't understand,”

“I just want to go and lay in a bed and not think about what’s happening at the palace, okay?” He stood and tried to make his way to his room, but Bones grabbed him by the elbow. 

“Jim, Harry is the one who called that damned reporter,”

Jim stared at him, disbelief etched into his face, “No, I… he said he wanted what was best for me. For me to be happy,”

“He thought I left, but I was just outside of the door when he made the call. You can’t trust a word out of his mouth. Especially not when it’s dripping with that fake fatherly tone he uses to manipulate you. I’ve never trusted him, that’s why I still work for him. I couldn’t leave you alone with him, but I knew you well enough to know that you wouldn’t want to leave. I’ve done some research on him the past few days because he’s been getting worse. He’s amped up his lies and tactics. I don’t think he’s actually your uncle,”

“What are you talking about? Of course he is. He and Dad just didn’t get along, so Dad never talked about him,”

“Jim, think about it. He just showed up at your brother’s funeral, when your family was at its most vulnerable, made up some half baked lie to get your mother to trust him, then skirted you away before she had time to rethink it. He forged the paperwork proving that you're related to him. He’s a con-man Jim. A courtier's son on it's own isn't enough to make a claim on the throne. But being a Viscount's nephew as well would raise you high enough. He’s been trying to get control of this planet for a long time, and you were just the latest pawn in a long string of schemes. Now I suspect that you’ve outlived your usefulness to him, and he’ll toss you aside.”

“Bones… I…” He was having trouble processing everything Bones had told him. 

“Not to mention, he was all too happy that you didn’t want to go to the wedding. I know you’re in love with the prince, and seeing him married will hurt you, but whatever he’s planning, could really hurt Spock. You might want to get there before he does something that can’t be fixed with a charming smile,” 

Before he could stop himself, he threw his arms around Bones, and after a moment felt Bones’s arms around him as well, before he pulled back and cleared his throat to say “Now get out of here. You better use that deathtrap you call a motorcycle if you want to get there in time,”

He ran out of the door and climbed on top of the motorcycle, feeling the familiar rumble between his legs. The wind rushed through his hair, and he certainly wasn't dressed for a royal wedding, but all he could think about was getting to the palace in time to save Spock from whatever Harry had planned.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock's wedding day

The morning of his wedding, Spock meditated for an extra hour- it was sure to be a long and taxing day. As he was finishing getting ready in his traditional formal Vulcan robes, his door chimed. When he allowed them entrance, Michael came in first, with an apology in her eyes, and was followed by their parents. His mother descended on him, trying to keep the touching to a minimum, but she had missed him terribly. She asked him a barrage of questions which he was only able to half answer before she asked the next. In perfect contrast, Sarek stood silently by the door, hands clasped in front of his chest. Michael allowed this to continue for a few minutes before cutting in and suggesting that she take them to find their seats. 

“Of course dear, but first, I have a piece of motherly advice to give to you on your wedding day. Marriage is about learning how to be yourself with someone else,” It almost sounded like a riddle to Spock, but his mother seemed happy with the advice she had given.

“Thank you mother.” And as if she couldn’t hold herself back, she leaned in quickly to kiss him lightly on the cheek wrap him in a tight embrace before heading for the door. 

“I would like a moment alone with my son,” It was the first thing Sarek had said since arriving, and the idea of being alone with his father made Spock tense. Michael and Amanda nodded and left the two of them alone. 

“My son, you have done what is logical, but the logic on your journey has not been easy. It is well to see you have not forgotten your upbringing while surrounded by these illogical humans,” Spock knew that this was high praise from his father. After he responded with are respectful nod of the head, Sarek turned to leave. 

“Father, I also have a question for you. When Sybok’s mother decided to pursue the Kolinahr, what was it that made you decide to marry my mother- a human? It seems a most illogical choice,”

Sarek thought for a moment while the question hung in the air. It was rare that his father spoke of his first born son or his mother, so Spock was beginning to wonder if his question would be answered at all when he finally spoke up. “I could tell you that it seemed the logical thing to do at the time, but the truth is that occasionally, the heart does things for reasons that reason cannot always understand.” Without waiting for acknowledgement, he turned and left Spock alone to puzzle out his second riddle of parental marriage advice. 

As Sarek left, Michael slipped through the doors before they closed after him. Spock sighed, it appeared this day would prove even more exhausting than he had expected and he wished he had set aside more time for meditation. 

“There’s a security team waiting to escort you,” She paused to make sure the doors were shut fully before lowering her voice and adding “I don’t want to confuse you, but you should know, Sir James didn’t set you up. It was Mudd,”

“How do you know this?” he suddenly felt dizzy and breathless. It wasn’t possible. It had been so easy to place the blame on Jim and have a reason to hate him- even if hate wasn’t a particularly logical trait, it was certainly easier to palate than love. 

“I don’t know the details yet, Chekov and Sulu just told me a minute ago, but they said they were certain,” she stepped into the hall, and beckoned Spock’s assigned friends-who had become his true friends in the short period he had known them- into the room. Chekov and Sulu stood together facing Michael and Spock. 

“We weren’t spying,” Chekov started and Sulu elbowed him in the ribs.

“I don’t care about that. What did you hear?”

“We were outside of Sir James’s quarters and he and Lord Mudd were arguing,”

“We couldn’t hear everything, but Sir James said he wanted to stop sabotaging you,” Chekov added with an honest sadness in his voice that cut Spock.

“Then Sir James ran out of the room, not even noticing us standing there, clearly spying on them.” Now it was Chekov’s turn to elbow Sulu, “You’re a terrible liar, Pav, they know we were spying,” he whispered.

“Guys, we don’t have time for this. The reporter,” Michael prompted.

“Right, well after Sir James left, Lord Mudd called Elsie Penworth, and told her to keep an eye on Lake Amelia if she wanted a royal scandal. He used his own PADD and never told her his name, probably so it couldn’t be traced back to him if he got caught,” Sulu finished. 

Spock took a moment to allow everything to process fully, before looking up at his friends and saying “Thank you for clarifying and exposing the truth to me. It is appreciated. I must be going, however. It would not be appropriate to be late to my own wedding,” 

The two began to leave, but Chekov stopped and turned back to him to add, “You should also know,” he hesitated trying to phrase it just right, “the way he spoke to his uncle about you…. He’s in love with you, your highness,” with that, he left and jogged to catch up with Sulu. 

Spock’s legs simply wouldn’t hold him up anymore and he flopped down into his chair. His head spun and he could hear the blood pulsing in his ears. He wanted to go back to blaming Jim, to hating him. Anything that would make his decision to never see or think about Jim again easier to do. If he was in one of his human novels, Spock would leave the palace, still in his formal robes, and ride on horseback back to the lake. When he got there, Jim would already be there waiting for him and would lift him off the horse and kiss him with the fiery passion Spock had only dreamed of. They would run away together, Genovia be damned, they would steal a starship and spend the rest of their days together among the stars. 

But it wasn’t a novel. It was Spock’s real life. And Genovia was a real planet, with real people. He had made a promise, and more than that, he cared deeply for the planet and its people. That fantasy could never be more than that- a private world he would keep close to his heart. 

Chris entered, and smiled the warm grin Spock had still not grown accustomed to, and Spock felt a deep shame at even having had the fantasy of leaving. Chris had done so much for him, and leaving would be a deep betrayal of everything he had done for Spock in the last month. 

“We’re ready for you, Spock. Are you ready?”

His head was still spinning when he nodded and stood to follow Chris and Michael.

 

Though he had no memory of the walk from his quarters to the large chapel, he suddenly found himself staring up at the tall white doors. First he would make his entrance, his final public appearance until the coronation, then Nyota’s bridesmaids, and finally, Nyota herself would enter and the ceremony could begin. It all was totally illogical, but he had known better than to try to talk Chris out of the formalities and traditions. He took a deep steadying breath, and nodded to let them know he was ready. The doors opened and everything hit him at once. Chris snuck in some hints to Vulcan traditions in the decorations, and the band that played so beautifully included several Vulcan lutes. Every head in the room turned in his direction. With eyes straight ahead, he began to make his way to the front of the room. 

He was nearly there, so close to finishing what he had started, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw his parents. His mother beamed with pride and affection as her fingers sought out her husband’s fingertips. His father’s lips twitched when they held that contact. He had never put much thought into if his parents had been in love, but now as he looked at his mother, he saw in her eye the same unidentifiable sparkle that he saw in Jim’s eyes while they danced by Lake Amelia. He stopped in his tracks. The huge room felt too small and the walls seemed to be closing in around him. A strange pity crept into the faces around him. 

He turned on his heel and took long, quick strides back to the hallway. Nyota was surrounded by her giggling bridesmaids waiting for their entrance cues when he brushed past them, refusing to look at Nyota for fear she would notice the moisture that threatened to spill over from his eyes. He found a closet and closed himself in, trying to center himself. 

A few moments later, Chris opened the door just enough to let himself in, “Spock are you alright?”

“I am sorry Chris, I just need a moment. I can do this,” Chris put a firm hand on his shoulder, “I cannot do this,” he whispered. 

“Hey, Spock. It’s okay. I don’t want you doing anything that you aren’t one hundred percent happy with. You can go back in there and get married, or walk away from this. It doesn’t affect how I see you. Whatever choice you make, let it be from your heart. Not duty to me or to Genovia, not even from logic. Do what you _feel_ is right. Take your time. We’ll be waiting for you whenever you’re ready,” with that, he left Spock alone to try to find the right choice. 

 

When Spock finally stepped out of the closet, he saw that Michael had waited outside of the door in the hallway for him. They walked back to the chapel together in silence. Nyota was still waiting in the hall, and Spock realized that while it felt like hours had passed, it had only been about ten minutes. Michael saw the two of them exchange a look and slipped into the chapel. 

“Nyota, do you believe that everyone deserves a chance at love? Even you and I? No matter how illogical?” 

“Yes, Spock, I do,” her eyes flickered to one of her bridesmaids that Spock recognized as Christine Chapel, Jim’s date to the garden party. “Thank you, Spock. For letting me do the improper thing for once,”

They linked arms and pulled the doors open, and began walking up the aisle together. Snippets from whispered conversations reached Spock’s ears as they marched. 

“Oh, here they come,”

“Not really the traditional way,”

“Maybe it’s a Vulcan thing?”

Once at the front of the room, they turned to each other, and Nyota gently kissed his forehead and turned to sit in an empty seat in the front row. 

Spock turned to face the crowd and saw Jim quietly slip through the door and stand against the wall. “Moments ago, I began to question my own logic for going through with your tradition of being married before becoming King. While I believe that under the circumstances, my own logic was sound, I came to the conclusion that it is your laws which are logically flawed. Nearly all of the Genovian rulers have ruled by themselves after the death of their partners, and many were actually _more_ effective by themselves than as a pair. For example, Queen Ansa in the early 22nd century who brought an end to the war that the king had started. It has also brought strife to your planet- King Julien V was nearly assassinated when his wife paid the cook to add poison to his drink so she could take over,” Spock was glad he had spent the time to look into Genovia’s history as well as the laws and customs when he did his research. 

There were murmurs from the crowd as they realized that this was indeed a failing of their old law. 

“So I will not be getting married today. I believe that I will be an effective King. I understand that Genovia combines the beauty of the past with hope for the future. I believe in Genovia. I would not have be here right now if I did not,”

General assent began to rise from the crowd, until Harry Mudd stood and began yelling, “Every time this foreigner, this- this _alien_ -” he said the word with ugly contempt, “Opens his mouth, he shows complete disregard for our customs. Our law _clearly_ states that one cannot rise to be King or Queen until they are married. Luckily, there _is_ another heir and he is more than willing to-”

“No, there is no other heir,” Jim cut him off and began making his way toward the center of the room. “I decline. I refuse. It is Spock who should become King. He is bright and caring, but most importantly, he has a vision for Genovia. One that will bring us into an even brighter future. And if parliament was astute, they would name him King without a second's hesitation. And besides, think of how lovely he’ll look with a crown on his head,”

“You would look lovely with a crown,” Mudd roared.

Michael and a few of the security team had already begun trying to gently heard him out. When they got him into the hall, Jim followed looking particularly angry.

Spock looked at Chris who was beaming with pride. “Make a motion,” he mouthed. 

“Right, I make a motion that we abolish the marriage law as it applies to current and future rulers of Genovia. Will any parliament members second my motion?”

There was a tense moment where he sought out eye contact with anyone who may agree with him. Lord Bering leapt to his feet and shouted his agreement; with that it was like a dam bursting. Nearly every member had stood to pass the motion. 

 

In the hall, Harry was still yelling at the security team, telling them to keep their hands off of him, even though none of them were touching him. When he saw Jim, he pushed past them saying “Jamie, my boy. Please, don’t give all of this up for some boy. We can still-”

“Stop. I’m done. I’m not playing your games anymore, Uncle,” for the first time in a long time, Jim was feeling actual fury, “Or are you even that? Tell me again why we had never even heard of you until you showed up at Sam’s funeral?” 

“I told you. Your father and I didn’t get along, but he asked me to look after you, to help you if there was ever a time when you needed it and to guide you to the throne. When your brother died, you clearly were in need of help, so I took you in,” 

Though the door, Jim could hear Spock’s motion being passed and it gave him the courage to say what needed to be said.

“Is that it? Or was it all a long scheme to give you power? Swooping in when my family was fraught with grief. Grooming me to trust you, to allow you to control me like a puppet on strings, giving you all the power you could ever hope for, with none of the responsibility,”

He started spluttering, “Laddie, I don’t know where you got all of that from, but I have always had your best interest at heart. If it was that confounded doctor of yours I’ll have his head for filling you with such nonsense. Such slander- I won’t stand for it, I simply-,”

“We’re finished,” he cut Mudd off and entered the chapel to see most of the members of parliament on their feet and Spock stood in front of them. Jim would almost swear he could see a smile in his eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock and Jim (finally) spend more time together

The morning after the wedding that wasn’t, it was decided that the coronation would be pushed back a week. Just enough time to make Spock’s first movement an official law. Through the meeting, Spock was antsy. He still hadn’t spoken to Jim since the night by Lake Amelia, and he wanted to apologize for his cruel words. When the meeting ended at long last, Spock was up and taking quick purposeful strides to the door. Not wanting to call attention to himself, but wanting to hurry and find Jim. 

“You really moved everyone with your speech, Spock,” Chris had intercepted him on his way out. 

He sighed internally, but responded, “I wasn’t looking to move anyone. I was pointing out a logical flaw in a very old and outdated law. I’m just glad that the people of Genovia were able to see rationally,” 

“Of course. And I’m sure you had no other motivations,” 

“Certainly not,” he glanced toward the door.

Chris chuckled, and put a gentle hand on Spock’s shoulder, “Before you go, I know you don’t like emotional displays, but I just want to tell you how proud of you I am. You’ve been incredible these past few weeks, and I want to thank you. You exceeded every expectation we had for you, and I’m so glad I get to continue working with you,” 

“I look forward to it,” he said with sincerity. If it had been anyone else who had come to collect him on Vulcan, Spock wasn’t sure he would have been able to go through with it. 

Outside of the door, Michael was waiting for him. He quickly filled her in on the details.

“Good. So does that mean you’re going to find Sir James now?”

“Why would you say that?” he tried to dodged her question with a question of his own, but she knew him too well, and took note of the green the crept into his cheeks. She smiled a small grin and made a humming noise. 

They continued to walk in silence for a short while, before Spock asked, so quietly that Michael almost couldn’t hear, “Do you think he will forgive me? For assuming it was him, and refusing to listen?”

“Spock, there is nothing that boy wouldn’t do for you. He could have been king. He could have sided with Mudd and put up a fight, and possibly won. But he didn’t. Instead he came to a wedding he probably didn’t want to go to, to keep Mudd from doing anything that would hurt you. He was going to watch the person he loves get married, just to keep you safe. I think he already forgives you,”

Spock looked away from her, almost embarrassed- how did people bear to be in love? How did they bear the emotional vulnerability that came with it- it was almost too much. But he wanted it. He couldn’t explain why he would want something that went against everything he was raised on, but he knew that without, life wouldn’t be worth living. 

“Go. I’ll keep Sarek and Amanda occupied,”

“Just before the wedding, Sarek congratulated me on following the path of logic. I am sure he is back to being just as disappointed in me as ever,”

She barked out a loud laugh, “Just go,” she laughed again and shook her head as he took his leave. 

 

Spock didn’t know where to look for Jim, but for some reason he couldn’t quite explain, he decided to check Lake Amelia.

When he saw Jim standing by the lake’s edge, the tightness around his heart eased. He stood for a few minutes and watched as he picked up rocks and threw them into the water to see how far he could get them to skip across the surface. He tried to think of how to start, where to begin, but he came up with nothing. 

Without realizing what he was doing, he took a step forward, and at the same moment, Jim turned around. It was as if their minds were on the same frequency, that only the two of them shared. Jim beamed and let the rock in his hand fall to the ground. Spock was taking long strides toward him, and Jim began to half jog to meet him in the middle. 

“Your highness,” Jim said with a small bow.

“Sir James… Jim,” He looked into Jim’s bright eyes and knew that Michael was right, he was already forgiven, but he decided he still needed to apologize. “I am sorry. I should have listened to you and allowed you to explain. Please understand that I was afraid of what would happen if I allowed myself to feel for you, when I was to be married to another,”

“Spock,” Jim said his name so gently, like the word was made of glass and needed to be handled with the utmost care, “You had every right to be suspicious of me. I spent weeks-years really- allowing Harry Mudd to manipulate me into hurting you. The fact that you’re here now, is… well it’s more than I deserve,”

Spock cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow. “Years? I have only been on Genovia one month,”

Jim let out a humorless laugh and explained with a shrug, “It turns out, it was some twisted long con. He isn’t even actually my uncle,”

Spock led them both under the tree to sit, “Please explain,”

Jim sighed and his face set in an uncharacteristic frown, before launching into a full explanation, starting with the death of his brother, and going all the way until the day of the wedding. He angrily wiped at the tears that spilled down his cheeks, but Spock held onto his hand, and gently brushed the tears away with his thumb. He had a strange desire to kiss the tears away, as if that would somehow lessen Jim’s pain. Before he could overthink it, he did just that- gently kissing at Jim’s cheek where a fresh tear had fallen. Jim looked up, and the locked eyes for a split second, before he fell into Spock’s chest and wept. That was not the desired effect. 

Spock could tell though, as if through their special frequency, that the tears were not an effect of his own actions, but because for the first time in so long, Jim finally felt loved. So Spock held him close and allowed him to weep into his shirt. Occasionally, Jim would mumble something “never felt so stupid,” “just needed someone to care about me,” and Spock would hold him even tighter, and whisper consoling words and try to make him feel the how loved he truly was. Eventually, Jim fell asleep, his head still buried in Spock’s chest, and hands clutching the front of his shirt. So Spock picked him up, and gently carried him back to the palace. He laid him in a guest bed, before placing a kiss on his forehead and whispering “Goodnight, my t’hy’la,” and retreated to his own bed.

 

When Spock wasn’t busy with preparing for his coronation, or performing his other duties, he spent all of his free time with Jim. It was amazing how easy their relationship had become. They walked the gardens together, and spent time in the library. Spock even convinced Jim to give him a few more archery lessons. 

Their lives began to intermingle almost immediately, Doctor McCoy was beginning to warm up to Spock, and Michael loved to share Spock’s embarrassing childhood stories with Jim. With Mudd gone, and the situation explained, everyone in the palace loved Jim. It was impossible not to. 

 

The week had passed quickly and the law was officially changed. Spock’s coronation was upon him, all that was left was the formal ceremonies (Spock wished he could change them as well, but he would stick with changing one illogical tradition at a time). Just before he was guided outside before a crowd of nobles and citizens alike, Ambassador Scott slipped a small piece of chocolate into his hand and winked. 

He held the bow in one hand, and reached the arrow into a flaming torch held by a common citizen, symbolizing that the people of Genovia were willing to embrace the new King. He had one chance to light the torch, and he knew he should be nervous, but he had had a good teacher. 

He recalled the feeling of Jim pressed to his back, whispering instructions in his ear, pulled the string back, touching his thumb to his lips, feeling the heat of the small flame tickling his fingers and released. The arrow soared through the air and hit precisely where it needed to go, igniting the large fire. The flame would stay lit through the coronation ceremony as a symbol of the new beginning that a new ruler brought. 

There was a few hours between the torch lighting, and the crowning ceremony, so he made his way to the throne room and stood alone trying to come to terms with the whirlwind that had changed his life so drastically barely a month ago. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to find the source. His heart stuttered in his side when he locked eyes with Jim. 

“I’ve come to seek audience with the King,” he said, a lopsided grin on his face as he knelt before him.

“What seems to be your dilemma?” He sat on the throne, allowing Jim to continue his farce of formality. 

“Well, actually, you are. I am in love with the King, and I’ve come here to see if… if he loves me too,” all the playfulness was gone from his face, leaving only worry. The time they had spent together had meant so much to Spock, but to a tactile human, his actions(and lack thereof) could have been interpreted as purely platonic. Spock realized that he never actually told Jim that he loved him. Spock rose and stood in front of him. He put a finger under his chin, a wordless request for him to stand. When they were eye to eye, Spock threw himself at Jim, crashing their lips together, and melting into him. When they finally pulled apart, Jim rested his forehead against Spock’s and whispered breathlessly, “Is that a yes?”

“I’d say so,” Michael was leaning against the door frame with a smirk on her face. Spock didn’t know how long she was standing there, but he found that he didn’t care. She was there escort Spock to the coronation, but stepped out of the room, to give them one more moment of privacy. 

“Yes, Ashayam. I love you deeply. I love you more than I thought possible for one person to love another,”

Jim ran his fingers along his jaw and kissed him once more, before pulling away completely to allow Michael to escort him to the ceremony. 

They left the throne room together, and went to the chapel, where the coronation was to happen. Jim gave Spock a chaste kiss before going into the chapel to find a seat. Spock made his entrance and the crown was placed on his head. He looked around the room- friends and strangers alike beamed at him with pride. They all trusted him to be the best king he could be, and he made a silent promise to all of them, that he would do everything he could to do just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't love the way this chapter ends, but it was the only thing that made sense to me.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of gross fluffy vignettes not so cleverly disguised as an epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm late posting this and I'm really sorry, but when I went to edit it, I hated it and the more I tried to rework it, I realized that the whole thing needed to be scrapped. And I didn't want to post a chapter I was unhappy with just to keep on the schedule. (Then I lost power about halfway through rewriting so there's that too)

The idea of being married to Jim seemed so obvious and logical, that when Jim knelt on bended knee, Spock was taken aback; when he produced a simple ring from his pocket, he was speechless. And when Jim, once again, professed his love and then asked him to spend the rest of their lives together, with hope and worry and adoration commingling on his face, Spock’s stoic facade was nearly shattered. He knelt in front of Jim, his eyes taking on the softness that was exclusively for Jim. He took his hands in both of his own, and brought them to his side, just over his heart. The worry melted from Jim's face as he felt the steady thumping beneath the surface. 

“I would spend an eternity with you, T’hy’la. Every day, in every universe. You were made to be with me, and I with you,”

He moved their hands from his side to kiss Jim’s fingers before finally allowing him to slip the ring onto his finger. 

Jim threw his arms around Spock’s neck and kissed him deeply. Spock melted into the embrace and drew Jim closer with a hand wrapped around his waist. 

 

They hid their engagement from the public until after Harry Mudd’s trial. The process was hard on Jim and it pained Spock to not be able to give him comfort. But with his testimony, plus that of Doctor McCoy, and Chekov and Sulu-who looked almost strange without the other by their side- Harry Mudd was sentenced to a penal colony for conspiracy and treason. 

The night following the trial, Spock was preparing for bed when he heard a knock on the window. He opened it to see Jim with an almost shy grin on his face. He had climbed up the very same tree Spock had climbed down to sneak off to the lake that fateful night- to Spock, that night seemed like half a lifetime ago.

“Hey, Rapunzel. Can I come into your tower?” 

“Would the door not have been a more logical entrance?” Spock put an arm around Jim and helped him clamber into the room.

“Well now, where’s the romance in that?” He asked as his feet landed on the floor. 

Spock’s (no doubt logical) response was muffled by Jim cupping his jaw in his hands and gently kissing him. He pulled away, beaming, and Spock couldn’t stop himself from kissing the tip of his nose. Something in their rapidly forming bond told Spock that something wasn’t quite right.

“Is something wrong?”

“No! Not at all,” Jim began, but when he saw Spock’s raised brow and the firm line of his mouth, he pulled out of the embrace and turned his back to Spock with his arms hugged tight across his chest. Spock crossed the room, and wrapped his arms around Jim’s abdomen. He could tell that Jim was lying, but wouldn’t push him to speak if he was uncomfortable doing so.

“Very well,” he said, nuzzling his nose into where his shoulder met his neck. 

“I just,” he paused, “I don’t want to be alone tonight. Today was really hard and… nevermind- this is stupid.” He tried to pry Spock’s arms off so he could leave the same way he came in, but Spock wouldn’t let go. 

“Please, stay the night with me. Let me bring you comfort,” he whispered into Jim’s ear. 

Jim sighed and allowed himself to be steered to the bed, where Spock brought him a clean shirt. Spock was surprised to see the pink blush that crept up Jim’s neck and cheeks when he peeled his pants off, leaving him only in his boxer briefs and Spock’s shirt. Something primal and ancient in Spock’s mind tried to push to the forefront. He wanted to ravage the beautiful pink human in front of him, to give him everything he could ever want and more, to worship him and never leave his side. But he pushed that back, instead choosing to sit with him and gently rub circles into Jim’s back with his fingertips. After a few moments, he changed from circles, to spelling words in Vulcan script. With his fingers, he described his deep love, and promised him forever, and everything else that he would have trouble articulating out loud. While Jim didn’t know Vulcan, he caught the meaning, just by the gentleness of the touch and the way Spock sighed every so often. 

 

When Jim discovered that Spock had never been to the palace conservatory, he wasted no time in bringing him there. The sunlight sparkled in through the glass and Jim was alight with joy. He pointed flowers out to Spock, giving names and facts about all of his favorites.

“That one’s called a sunny scard. It’s native to Almicor V. I would love to preserve one of the blossoms. It’s my favorite one in here.” Spock looked from Jim, and back to the small angular yellow bud growing from a pink stem. The plant had plenty of flowers on it, who would notice if he took one? He reached up and pinched the base of the stem, and handed it to Jim. His eyes sparkled, but he whispered conspiratorially, “You aren’t supposed to pick the flowers,”

“I’ll make another motion,” he teased. “As it applies to current and future rulers, Kings shall be allowed to pick any flowers from the conservatory they wish,” he said with an air of such formality, it almost sounded as if he was actually in front of the parliament.

Jim laughed and thanked him, sniffing the flower, savoring it’s citrusy smell. 

“Jim, how do you think your Doctor McCoy would enjoy a position as palace physician? We are in need of a new doctor, and based on his testimony against Harry Mudd and the fact that you are already comfortable with him, I believe that he is the right choice,” 

“Really?” Spock could tell that Jim was thrilled at the prospect, “I’ll speak to him about it, but between you and me, I’m sure he’ll accept,” 

They leaned into each other and continued their lap through the flowers in the different climate sections. In the area that was kept hot and dry, Spock stopped and pointed out one small pot. 

“My mother brought this from Vulcan. It is called an oroth. She wanted me to have a piece of my home with me here,”

“I would love to see your home planet. What will your father think of this illogical relationship?” He tried and failed to hide a snicker at the thought of meeting Sarek who had been pleased to see Spock doing the logical thing by marrying Nyota.

“Whatever he has to say has no real merit, as he also married a human. Perhaps you would like to go together after we marry here. We could bond in the Vulcan way,” He tried to sound casual, but Jim could tell that it was something he wanted very much. 

“I would love that. We should speak to Chris about it- see how soon Genovia can afford to lose you for a little while,”

 

The day of their wedding, Spock felt no nerves at all, only joy at the prospect of being married to Jim. No longer having to sneak him into his room at night, or having to sit through official meetings alone. After he dressed, Michael had come to collect him and bring him to Lake Amelia. Jim had applied his usual charm and was able to bend a few traditions. They were to have the ceremony under their willow tree in front of significantly less guests than the last time around. 

“So how is Miss Tilly?” He asked his sister as they made their way to the lake. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She glanced at him from the side of her eye. 

“After all of your pushing and prodding about my feelings towards Jim, you expect me to leave it at that?”

“She is fine. She’s a member of my security team. That’s all,”

“Chekov and Sulu see everything, remember?” he said with something akin to a scoff. When they told Spock that Michael had been spending time with the red haired engineer that built and upgraded their equipment, they were just trying to make conversation, but it was news to Spock. He allowed her her secret until it seemed like she would never tell him. 

She half sighed, half grunted before explaining, “I enjoy spending time with her. You were busy with wedding planning and ruling a country. If it turned sour, I certainly didn’t need you to feel like you had to drop any of that to help me,”

“Michael, I will always stop what I am doing to help you, no matter how important. I am your brother before I am king. I hope you remember that,”

The rest of the ride was quiet, but Michael seemed softer, happier. Perhaps she would tell him more about Sylvia Tilly once the wedding was done. 

Jim stood under the willow with Leonard McCoy by his side. If Spock had seen anything other than Jim, he surely would have noticed how uncomfortable the doctor was in his suit. But Jim outshined everything else. 

They exchanged vows and rings as Amanda and Jim’s mother Winona, who had become fast friends, cried happy tears together while Sarek dispensed tissues to them both. Nyota Uhura and Christine Chapel sat in the front row, hands clasped together, a tasteful diamond ring on Christine’s left hand. T’Pring had grown very fond of Chekov and Sulu in her time on Genovia, so she sat with them knowing she would be leaving them soon. She had to suppress a decidedly un-vulcan grin when the two of them whooped and wolf-whistled through the vows. Ambassador Scott had come as well, but offered no chocolate, seeming to know that Spock needed no help to make it through the evening. 

Jim and Spock could have married in a dirty barn with only animals as witnesses and neither would have noticed or cared- they only had eyes for each other. The gold trim on Jim’s suit brought out the golden flecks in his eyes. Jim had never seen anyone look quite so beautiful as Spock in his black formal Vulcan robes with gold trimmings to match Jim’s suit. 

They kissed each other deeply, nearly forgetting they were in front of a crowd, and just like that, they were married. Two kings balancing each other, logic and emotion, head and heart. 

 

Not long after the wedding, they boarded the _USS Clarisse_ along with Chris, Winona, Leonard, Michael, and Sylvia Tilly. Winona was horrified at what she had allowed to happen, though Jim tried to ease her guilt. He assured her that anyone would have believed Harry, and reminded her that had he not gone to live with him, he would never have met Spock. So even if he could do it all over again, he wouldn’t change anything. This seemed to pacify her somewhat, because she looked to Spock, still somewhat amazed that she was in the royal starship, with the King of Genovia, and thanked him for protecting her son when she didn’t. He responded with a nod and pulled Jim in close, as if worried he could lose him again. 

They were to be bonded in a traditional ceremony in which Jim was required to wear formal robes as well. When Spock saw him, he felt dizzy- he was truly a vision. Before he realized what he was doing, and that he was on Vulcan, not Genovia, he pulled Jim close and kissed him, pressing their palms together as he did so, scandalizing every Vulcan in the vicinity. Michael guffawed, only piling onto the horror of the surrounding Vulcans. All around him, Spock heard whispers of “Genovia must be quite uncivilized to have done this to two of Sarek’s children in such a short time.” But Spock simply didn’t care. He pulled Jim a little closer before letting him go. 

The ceremony itself was short and logical. A deep and permanent mental bond was formed between the two, as the humans in the crowd looked on in wonder. All they could see was two men kneeling together, as an old woman spoke words they didn’t understand, but it was clear how intimate and sacred this was. When the bonding was finished, Jim opened his eyes, still slightly out of focus from the intense and unfamiliar sensation of the meld. Spock held his face as he came back into himself, smiling gently. 

 

Spock sat in his childhood room on Vulcan reading A Tale of Two Cities, an old earth book that Jim had gifted to him as a wedding present. He paused for a moment and looked down at the head resting on his chest and reached out to take Jim’s hand. Jim happily obliged and placed a kiss on Spock’s fingers. For the first time in his life Spock felt true happiness. 

They would return to Genovia and their duties in a few days, but for now, he was happy to lay here, with his beloved, his husband, his T’hy’la. He kissed the top of Jim’s head, and Jim snuggled closer and hummed his contentment. Warmth spread from Spock’s heart and reached its calming tendrils all through his body, and he closed the book and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say the biggest thank you ever to Ghost for not only planting this seed in my head, but also being extremely encouraging the whole time I was trying to write it.  
> Also thank you all so much for the comments! I can't even tell you how much it meant to me to see comments on each chapter. It really made me want to make this story as good as I could possibly make it!  
> And even if you didn't leave comments, but have been reading the whole thing, THANK YOU!!!!! I really hope you all loved this as much as I loved writing it!!


End file.
